Onward, Mississippi

Onward is an unincorporated community located in Sharkey County, Mississippi. The junction of Mississippi Highway 1 and U.S. Route 61 is located here. Onward is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Cary and approximately 9 miles (14 km) north of Valley Park.

Onward, Mississippi
Unincorporated community
Onward, Mississippi Show map of Mississippi Onward, Mississippi Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 32°43′31″N 90°56′31″W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Sharkey
Elevation	102 ft (31 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39159
Area code	662
GNIS feature ID	675291[1]

Onward had a post office from about 1879 to 1975 but it closed after population decline.[2] The post office was housed in Onward Store in the early to mid-twentieth century.

A state historical highway marker on the grounds of Onward Store commemorates the creation of the Teddy Bear.[3] In 1902, former United States President Theodore Roosevelt was on a bear hunt at nearby Smedes Plantation. He refused to shoot a captive bear, and political cartoonists commented on this. The events inspired the creation of the Teddy Bear stuffed toy, named after Roosevelt.

A map from 1873 shows Onward located approximately 0.4 mi (0.64 km) west of its current location, at the confluence of Black Bayou and Deer Creek, with the towns of "Reality" and "Good Intent" located to the south.[4] The settlement likely moved to avoid flooding of those waterways.