Cockrum School, located at the crossroads of Mississippi Highway 305 and Holly Springs Road in DeSoto County, opened around 1928 as a vital hub for the rural Cockrum community. Serving multiple grades in its three classrooms and auditorium, the brick schoolhouse educated local children until its closure in 1959, when students were consolidated into larger districts. Once a bustling center alongside a motel and stores in “the crossroads” between Tunica and Holly Springs, the school saw its prominence fade as businesses and residents shifted toward nearby Olive Branch.

By the 2000s, the 86-year-old building stood abandoned, its paint peeling and windows boarded, yet its sturdy foundation inspired preservation efforts. Designated a Mississippi Historic Landmark in 2014, Cockrum School received an $80,000 Community Heritage Preservation Grant to restore it as a community center for meetings, a library, and classes. Today, its weathered charm and ongoing revival draw explorers, preserving the legacy of a once-thriving Delta crossroads.