With our busy day-to-day lives, many people may not take the time to think about the events and societal changes that occurred prior to their birth.

For those that take the time to dig, literally and figuratively, into history, they find there are many similarities in how things are today, and just as many differences.

The Historical Society of Picayune and Historical Society of Poplarville give Pearl River County residents an opportunity to hear from people who do that digging.

During their meetings they host a different speaker who covers a new topic. This week’s speaker shared a bit of what he learned about the buffer zone at John C. Stennis Space Center while he worked there.

As one would expect, the history of the buffer zone goes back much further than the beginning of rocket engine testing for the Apollo program.

Several facts were shared during the presentation, including how the Favre name became so prevalent in Hancock County, that there are still many sites within the buffer zone protected from further development and how that area was a testing ground for not only rocket engines, but also technology that would make archeological research much easier.

History may not be everyone’s favorite subject, but there’s no denying that knowing details about our past is not only interesting, it’s also educational.

One of the things we learn while digging into the past is how certain aspects of history tend to repeat themselves.

People from varying backgrounds occupied the buffer zone during different periods in time: the French, English, Spanish and Native Americans. And as time passes, populations shift and things change. As such, it’s expected that long after we are gone, changes will continue in Mississippi, the nation and the world.