Quitman County, Mississippi

History

Quitman County was formed in 1877 from portions of Tunica, Coahoma, Panola, and Tallahatchie Counties. The bill for its creation was introduced into the Mississippi Legislature by Leopold Marks while he was serving as a representative from Tunica County. The county was developed for cotton cultivation. Much of the bottomlands behind the riverfront were not developed until the late 19th century, and population continued to increase as the frontier was cleared and cultivated. The county reached its peak population in 1940. Agricultural mechanization reduced the need for farm labor, and workers were recruited to northern and midwestern industrial cities. Thousands of African Americans left in the Great Migration, many going upriver to St. Louis and Chicago.

Poor People's Campaign

Main article: Poor People's Campaign

Martin Luther King Jr. originally wanted the Poor People's Campaign to start in Quitman County because of the intense and visible economic disparity there. On March 18, 1968, King visited the town of Marks, Mississippi. He watched a teacher feeding black schoolchildren their lunch, consisting only of a slice of apple and some crackers, and was moved to tears.

After King's death, the Southern part of the Campaign began in Quitman County. Participants rode a train of mules to Washington, D.C. to protest about economic conditions. According to wagonmaster Willie Bolden, white citizens of Marks harassed the mule train on its way out of town. Bolden stated that they "would drive by blowing their horns, purposely trying to spook the mules and us." More recently, Quitman County residents have made an effort to promote tourism based on the county's role in the Poor People's Campaign.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406 sqmi, of which 405 sqmi is land and 1.4 sqmi (0.3%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Mississippi by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Major highways

• [[Image:Circle sign 3.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 3
• [[Image:Circle sign 6.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 6
• [[Image:US 278.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 278
• [[Image:Circle sign 315.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 315

Adjacent counties

• Tunica County (north)
• Panola County (east)
• Tallahatchie County (south)
• Coahoma County (west)

National protected area

• Coldwater River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Reflecting the decreased need for farm labor after mechanization and the development of industrial farms, the population has declined by more than two thirds since its peak in 1940.

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,176. The median age was 44.0 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 24.1% White, 73.6% Black or African American,

There were 2,577 households in the county, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 30.4% were married-couple households, 22.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,030 housing units, of which 15.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.6% were owner-occupied and 36.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.1%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 8,223 people living in the county. 69.6% were Black or African American, 29.0% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.3% of some other race and 0.8% of two or more races. 0.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,117 people, 3,565 households, and 2,506 families living in the county. The population density was 25 /mi2. There were 3,923 housing units at an average density of 10 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 68.62% Black or African American, 30.47% White, 0.13% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.08% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 0.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2000, there were 3,565 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.60% were married couples living together, 26.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.42.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 32.00% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 19.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 86.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $20,636, and the median income for a family was $25,394. Males had a median income of $23,571 versus $16,993 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,817. About 28.60% of families and 33.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.10% of those under age 18 and 30.60% of those age 65 or over.

Quitman County has the fifth-lowest per capita income in Mississippi and the 51st lowest in the United States.

Government and infrastructure

The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) operates the Quitman County Community Work Center (CWC) in an area near Lambert. In addition MDOC operates the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman) in an unincorporated area in Sunflower County, in the area. Camp B, an inmate housing unit, was a satellite complex located away from the main Parchman prison property in unincorporated Quitman County, near Lambert. Camp B was one of Parchman's largest African-American housing units. The Mississippi Code (§ 47-5-131) gives Quitman County the right to "not over twenty (20) offenders from the Parchman facility for five (5) workdays of each week for the purpose of working the roads of Quitman County", and goes on to state that the "board of supervisors of Quitman County shall lay out and designate roads to be worked by the offenders, and the board of supervisors shall furnish transportation to and from the Parchman facility for offenders."

Quitman County has a high African American population and is also heavily Democratic. It has not supported a Republican presidential candidate since 1972, although Ronald Reagan came within 4 points of winning the county in 1984.

Education

On July 24, 1969, federal judge William Keady found that Quitman County school officials were maintaining an unconstitutional de jure racially segregated school system, and he placed the school board under the supervision of United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. As of 1993, this order had not been set aside. In March 1991, the school board asked the district court for permission to close Crowder elementary and junior high school, a majority-white school. The court gave permission, and a group of parents sued for an injunction to prevent the closing. The district court denied them an injunction, and this decision was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

By 1975, the majority of African-American students in Quitman County were attending public schools, which had earlier been segregated. But the majority of white students had been moved into newly established private academies. This situation has continued; in 2007 the Mississippi Department of Education found that the students in the district were 97.92% African American, 1.81% White, and 0.27% Hispanic.

Schools in Quitman County remain effectively segregated by race. White students almost exclusively attend private schools while Black children attend the local public schools.

• Public School Districts
  • Quitman County School District - The only school district in the county.
• Private Schools
  • Delta Academy (Marks)

Communities

City

• Marks (county seat)

Towns

• Crenshaw (mostly in Panola County)
• Crowder (partly in Panola County)
• Falcon
• Lambert
• Sledge

Census-designated place

• Darling

Other unincorporated communities

• Allen
• Barksdale
• Belen
• Birdie
• Bobo
• Chancy
• Denton
• Essex
• Hinchcliff
• Locke Station (partly in Panola County)
• Longstreet
• Oliverfried
• Riverview
• Sabino
• Vance (partly in Tallahatchie County)
• Walnut
• West Marks
• Yarbrough

Notable people

• Earl Hooker (January 15, 1929 – April 21, 1970) – blues guitarist.
• Charley Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) – country music artist.
• Snooky Pryor (September 15, 1921 – October 18, 2006) – harmonica player.
• Sunnyland Slim (September 5, 1907 – March 17, 1995 ) – blues piano player.{{cite book|author = Tony Russell | year=1997|title=The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray|publisher=Carlton Books Limited|location=Dubai|pages=171
• Fred Smith (born August 11, 1944) – founder, President and CEO FedEx

References

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Quitman County, Mississippi". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. "History".
4. Amy Bach. (2009). "Ordinary Injustice: How America Holds Court". Metropolitan Books.
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. "[http://www.mdoc.state.ms.us/community_work_centers%20list.htm COMMUNITY WORK CENTERS] {{webarchive. link. (2010-08-15 ", [[Mississippi Department of Corrections]]; retrieved September 23, 2010.)
17. "[http://sp.gomdot.com/Intermodal%20Planning/planning/Maps/County%20Highway%20Maps/Quitman.pdf Quitman County General Highway Map]{{dead link. (July 2016)
18. William Ferris. (2009). "Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Blues". [[University of North Carolina Press]].
19. Camp B's buildings have been demolished.[http://www.oxfordamerican.org/interviews/2009/dec/07/featured-writer-month "FEATURED WRITER OF THE MONTH Interview with: WILLIAM FERRIS"] {{webarchive. link. (June 13, 2010 , ''[[Oxford American]]'', December 7, 2009; retrieved September 21, 2010. "While many of the communities in which I worked have changed dramatically—Parchman's Camp B buildings in Lambert, Mississippi, have been leveled to the ground,[...]")
20. "2010 Mississippi Code TITLE 47 Ch. 5 §47-5-131 - Offenders to work certain roads; Quitman County".
21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
22. (September 2, 1993). "1 F. 3d 1450 - Hull v. Quitman County Board of Education".
23. Amy Nathan Wright. (2011). "The 1968 Poor People's Campaign: Marks, Mississippi and the Mule Train". University of Georgia Press.
24. "Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System". Office of Research and Statistics, Mississippi Department of Education.
25. (August 2025). "Delta Academy". US Department of Education.
26. "M S Palmer High School". US Department of Education.
27. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Quitman County, MS". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
28. [http://www.deltaacademy.org/ Home]. Delta Academy. Retrieved on April 8, 2012. "1150 Riverside Drive Marks, MS 38646"
29. Sebastian Danchin. (2001). "Earl Hooker, Blues Master". University Press of Mississippi.
30. "Charley Pride". Country Music Hall of Fame.
31. Tony Russell. (November 10, 2006). "Obituary of Snooky Pryor". The Guardian.