Olive Branch

Olive Branch had a different name when it was first founded near where several Old Chickasaw Indian Trails crossed. It was originally called Watson's Crossroad. Then, in 1846, when the first Post Office was established, Mrs. Frances Wilson Blocker - a descendant of one of the community's founders-suggested the name Olive Branch. She thought, it is said, that the new name symbolized a dove bringing a branch to the seagoing Noah.

Fourteen years before the Olive Branch Post Office opened, President Andrew Jackson decided that extensive Indian-held land east of the Mississippi River should be given to frontier settlers for clearing and farming. In 1832, the Pontotoc Treaty was signed, which allowed the Indians to keep certain designated lands. The remainder was opened to settlers.

In less than a century and a half, Olive Branch has gracefully made the transition from Indian Territory to the fastest growing city in the fastest growing county in Mississippi. Located adjacent to the Mid-South's leading metropolitan center-Memphis, Tennessee-Olive Branch offers the best of two worlds; pleasant, comfortable, uncongested living and employment all less than 30 minutes from the cultural, financial and distribution hub of the Mid-South.

The city of Olive Branch is located southeast from Memphis, TN via Highway 78. It is only 30 minutes from the attractions of the big city. Olive Branch, a suburb of Memphis, TN, is the fastest growing community in Mississippi. The city has a population growth well over 20% since 1998.