Austin, Mississippi

Austin is an unincorporated community in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States.[1]

Austin, Mississippi
Unincorporated community
1862 map showing Austin
Austin, Mississippi
Austin, Mississippi
Coordinates: 34°38′26″N 90°26′57″W
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyTunica
Elevation
197 ft (60 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
38676
GNIS feature ID666428

Once a thriving shipping port on the Mississippi River, Austin served as county seat from 1847 to 1888. Earlier county seats were Commerce and Peyton.[2][3]

History

Austin was founded in 1847 and named for Austin Miller, who donated the land on which the town and a courthouse were built.[3]

Austin was burned in 1863 by Union soldiers of the Mississippi Marine Brigade under the command of Alfred W. Ellet. Two houses were spared.[4]

The town rebuilt and was incorporated in 1871, though it is no longer incorporated.[3]

In 1884, the area was flooded when a nearby levee broke. When waters receded, a large sandbar had been left between the town and the Mississippi River, and steamboats could no longer land. The completion of the Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway 3 mi (4.8 km) east of Austin in the late 1880s further contributed to its isolation.

In 1888, the county seat was moved to Tunica, a more accessible location.[3]

The construction of the Hardin Cutoff in 1942, which created Tunica Lake, moved the Mississippi River an additional 7 mi (11 km) west of Austin.[5]

Notable person

References
  1. "Austin". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. Ensign, Bridgman & Fanning's Lake and River Guide: Being a Traveler's Companion to the Cities, Towns, and Villages on the Western Waters of the United States. Ensign, Bridgman & Fanning. 1856.
  3. "Communities of Tunica County, Mississippi". MSGenWeb. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  4. Jones, Terry L. (2002). Historical Dictionary of the Civil War. Scarecrow Press.
  5. Bragg, Marion (1977). "Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River" (PDF). Mississippi River Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-24.
  6. "Sport McAllister". BaseballReference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
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