One of Winn Parish's oldest historical landmarks lies on a beautiful grassy, wooded spot about five miles off Highway 84, near the old Couley Church. The landmark is a tomb, which has been at this location since 1852, the year Winn Parish and the town of Winnfield were founded. (Winnfield proper was officially founded in 1852.)

The landmarks stand on what is known as the old Phillips place, near the present home of Will Gilcrease, and the old P. L. Orendorf home. According to information from George Evans of Montgomery, the place was owned by Uncle Charlie Phillips, who had a grist mill and store there as far back as 1860. The place, according to Mr. Evans' information, was settled by Major Lyons, in slave time. He believes the other grave to be that of Major Lyon's slave. (The original Pearre, also found as Pearrie, Perry, etc., was white. He had several descendants of mixed blood, many who reside in Winn, Jackson Parishes.)

Charlie Phillips lived and died on this old place and reared his family there.

Although located in a now deserted part of the parish, the old home place is still beautifully preserved, with the exception of the house, which no longer standing. About eight large pecan trees, a cherry tree, mulberry tree, walnut tree, and several large oaks still stand as if inviting a home to be built around them.

The graves lie under a spreading pecan tree, standing at the edge of an acre or larger opening which is covered with a turf of St. Augustine grass and bounded on the east side by two ancient oaks, which must have been standing when the Major was alive. (Many have assumed that "Major" was a military title of this man but it is believed that his first name was Major.) A large branch has been broken off the larger of the two, probably by ice.

If the place were made accessible, it would be an ideal recreation and picnic spot.

A check of old land records in that area show that Major Lyon was a large landowner, having filed several tracts between 1838 and 1851, the year before he died. The Major is listed in old records at the Winn Parish Library as one of the first to buy land in Township 9, Range 4W, in 1838. He later filed the following tract: two eighties in Sec. 20-10-5W, a forty each in sections 14, 13, and 12, twp. 10-5W, and 120 acres from a military warrant (Number 69935). All this land was filed in 1851, a total of 520 acres.

The old tombs of Major Lyon and A. W. Pearre were reported recently by Lon Anderson and Bryant McBride, who found them while squirrel hunting in that area.