Webster County, Mississippi

Webster County is a county located in center of the U.S. state of Mississippi, bordered on the south by the Big Black River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,926.[1]

For other uses, see Webster County.

Webster County
County
Cemetery of Greensboro Baptist Church in Webster County. The large white marble tombstone marks the grave of William F. Brantley, General, C.S.A.
Cemetery of Greensboro Baptist Church in Webster County. The large white marble tombstone marks the grave of William F. Brantley, General, C.S.A.
Map of Mississippi highlighting Webster County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°37′N 89°17′W
Country United States
State Mississippi
Founded1874
Named forDaniel Webster
SeatWalthall
Largest cityEupora
Area
 • Total423 sq mi (1,100 km2)
 • Land421 sq mi (1,090 km2)
 • Water2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total9,926
 • Density23/sq mi (9.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district1st

The county was organized in 1874 during the Reconstruction era; the biracial legislature named it after Massachusetts statesman Daniel Webster. Its county seat is Walthall, designated in 1876.[2]

After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Webster County voters established this as a "dry county." In 2018 the legislature passed a bill allowing the transport of alcohol through even dry counties in the state.

History

Webster County was formed in 1874, during the Reconstruction era, from parts of the neighboring Montgomery, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Oktibbeha counties. Its southern border is formed by the Big Black River, a tributary of the Mississippi River.

In a pattern typical of frontier areas, as population in the Mississippi Territory increased, the original, large Choctaw and Oktibbeha counties were gradually divided in order to establish smaller counties. This territory had been acquired in 1833 by the United States from the Choctaw in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. At that time the large Choctaw County, Mississippi consisted of territory that later was divided to organize also Webster, the eastern part of Montgomery and a small portion of Grenada counties.

After Indian Removal, Choctaw County was inhabited primarily by European-American settlers from Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, and enslaved African Americans whom they brought with them or purchased as laborers.

Greensboro was designated as the first county seat. A temporary courthouse and log jail were built there. These were replaced in 1839 by a brick courthouse and jail. This courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1865, allegedly by an arsonist. Almost all of the early county records were destroyed in the fire.

In the early years Greensboro was thriving, with several types of stores and shops, as the county seat was a trading center for the agricultural district. It also had saloons, a livery stable, a brick yard, and a newspaper. A Methodist church was founded as early as 1839, and a Baptist church was begun in 1846. The Greensboro Lodge No. 49 of Free and Accepted Masons was chartered in 1842.

Part of the Mississippi frontier, Greensboro had the reputation of a rough and lawless town; many notorious criminals and murders were located there. John A. Murell, a famed outlaw of the Natchez Trace, was tried and convicted of horse stealing. While being transported to Columbus, Mississippi for incarceration, he killed his guard and escaped.

As the county seat, Greensboro sometimes received political candidates running for office. For instance, in 1851 the young Jefferson Davis came seeking voters to support him in his campaign for governor.

In 1861 the Edwards-Gray feud erupted, which developed from a fight over the settlement of the estate of Edward Dewitt Edwards, Jr. His family challenged his bequest to his widow, Mary "Molly" Gray Edwards. Three of her brothers: William, James, and Robert Gray, shot and killed judge Edward D. Edwards, Sr. and his son Luther Edwards in a confrontation over the estate. The Gray brothers were arrested and jailed; however, before a trial could be held, an outraged mob stormed the jail, fatally shooting two of the brothers and hanging the third.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, seven young men of Greensboro and Choctaw County rushed to enlist. The first company organized was the Wigfall Rifles, company D 15th, MS infantry C.S.A. This unit was formed in Greensboro in April 1861, commanded by Captain William F. Brantley of Greensboro; he later was promoted during the last year of the war as one of the youngest Confederate generals. In December 1864 Union troops raided the town and burned much of it.[3]

Brantley returned to Greensboro to practice law after the war and married again. (His first wife had died in 1863.) Local feuds and political unrest continued to erupt in violence during and after the Reconstruction era, when political tensions in the South were high, as conservative whites tried to re-establish their power over freedmen. His older brother, physician John Ransom Brantley, had been killed in Gonzales, Texas in 1859. Their younger brother Arnold Brantley was shot and killed near Greensboro on August 16, 1870; his murderers escaped. According to the Clarion, General Brantley was said to be seeking reprisal for his brothers' murders. He was ambushed on November 2, 1870, and killed by a shotgun blast while riding from Winona to Greensboro. No one was prosecuted for these deaths.[4]

Reflecting population changes in the county, in 1872 the state legislature moved the county seat from Greensboro to La Grange (historical), Mississippi, located west of the Natchez Trace. In 1874 Webster County, Mississippi was formed from parts of Choctaw county, and Greensboro was first designated as its county seat. But in 1876 the legislature moved the county seat to the more centrally located Walthall.

Greensboro, which had already begun to decline after the first shift in the county seat, rapidly lost population after this change. Many of the residents and businesses moved to the new county seat.

20th century to present

For years after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Webster County voters kept it "dry". The police of Mathiston, Mississippi, which was largely located in Webster County, frequently conducted roadblocks on those parts of highways running through town that were located in Webster. They would search for and seize all alcohol being transported through the county. On July 1, 2018, the legislature passed Mississippi House Bill 192, legalizing transport of all alcohol, by persons 21 and older, through dry counties within the state, and ending such actions.[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 423 square miles (1,100 km2), of which 421 square miles (1,090 km2) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) (0.5%) is water.[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18809,534—
189012,06026.5%
190013,61912.9%
191014,8539.1%
192012,644−14.9%
193012,128−4.1%
194014,16016.8%
195011,607−18.0%
196010,580−8.8%
197010,047−5.0%
198010,3002.5%
199010,222−0.8%
200010,2940.7%
201010,253−0.4%
20209,926−3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[11]

2020 census
Webster County racial composition[12]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 7,691 77.48%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,782 17.95%
Native American 14 0.14%
Asian 13 0.13%
Pacific Islander 1 0.01%
Other/Mixed 270 2.72%
Hispanic or Latino 155 1.56%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,926 people, 3,782 households, and 2,687 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 10,294 people, 3,905 households, and 2,877 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9.3 people/km2). There were 4,344 housing units at an average density of 10 units per square mile (3.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.55% White, 20.93% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races. 1.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,905 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,834, and the median income for a family was $34,969. Males had a median income of $27,297 versus $19,627 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,109. About 14.80% of families and 18.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.60% of those under age 18 and 18.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Towns

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Politics
United States presidential election results for Webster County, Mississippi[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 4,291 79.54% 1,043 19.33% 61 1.13%
2016 3,976 78.44% 1,019 20.10% 74 1.46%
2012 3,992 76.27% 1,190 22.74% 52 0.99%
2008 4,072 74.62% 1,349 24.72% 36 0.66%
2004 3,708 73.16% 1,341 26.46% 19 0.37%
2000 3,069 67.52% 1,426 31.38% 50 1.10%
1996 2,254 57.85% 1,379 35.40% 263 6.75%
1992 2,791 55.95% 1,746 35.00% 451 9.04%
1988 3,061 66.08% 1,550 33.46% 21 0.45%
1984 3,390 70.71% 1,397 29.14% 7 0.15%
1980 2,386 50.64% 2,178 46.22% 148 3.14%
1976 1,943 45.39% 2,218 51.81% 120 2.80%
1972 3,624 89.15% 403 9.91% 38 0.93%
1968 330 8.20% 295 7.33% 3,398 84.46%
1964 2,884 92.41% 237 7.59% 0 0.00%
1960 299 14.76% 553 27.30% 1,174 57.95%
1956 188 10.77% 1,412 80.92% 145 8.31%
1952 453 20.42% 1,765 79.58% 0 0.00%
1948 47 3.35% 277 19.73% 1,080 76.92%
1944 127 7.79% 1,504 92.21% 0 0.00%
1940 87 5.16% 1,595 94.55% 5 0.30%
1936 56 3.72% 1,439 95.49% 12 0.80%
1932 35 3.09% 1,092 96.38% 6 0.53%
1928 338 23.47% 1,102 76.53% 0 0.00%
1924 115 10.18% 918 81.24% 97 8.58%
1920 299 32.46% 576 62.54% 46 4.99%
1916 143 12.62% 944 83.32% 46 4.06%
1912 32 3.79% 655 77.61% 157 18.60%

See also

References
  1. "Census - Geography Profile: Webster County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Greensboro History".
  4. theusgenweb.org, US Gen website entry for General William F. Brantley.
  5. "House Bill 192". billstatus.ls.state.ms.us. July 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  12. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 4, 2018.

33.61°N 89.28°W / 33.61; -89.28

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