Corinth, Mississippi

Work crew repaving Taylor Street, 1930[5]

"Crossroads of the Confederacy"

Corinth was founded in 1853 as Cross City, so-called because it served as a junction for the Mobile & Ohio and Memphis & Charleston railroads. It was the town's early newspaper editor, W. E. Gibson, who suggested its current name for the city of Corinth in Greece that also served as a crossroads.

Corinth's location at the junction of two railroads made it strategically important to the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard retreated to Corinth after the Battle of Shiloh (April 1862), pursued by Union Major General Henry W. Halleck. General Beauregard abandoned the town on May 29 when General Halleck approached, letting it fall into the Union's hands. Since Halleck had approached so cautiously, digging entrenchments at every stop for over a month, this action has been known as the Siege of Corinth.

The Union sent Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans to Corinth as well and concentrated its forces in the city. The Second Battle of Corinth took place on October 3−4, 1862, when Confederate Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn attempted to retake the city.

Inside the Civil War Interpretive Center in Corinth.

Alcorn County Courthouse and Confederate Memorial

Corinth is located in northeast Mississippi at the intersection of (north/south) U.S. Route 45 and (east/west) U.S. Route 72. U.S. 45 runs to the west of the city as a bypass, leading north 19 mi (31 km) to Selmer, Tennessee, and south 21 mi (34 km) to Booneville. U.S. 72 runs through the southern part of the city, leading southeast 14 mi (23 km) to Burnsville and west 23 mi (37 km) to Walnut. It is the county seat of Alcorn County, which is the smallest county by area in the state of Mississippi.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.3 square miles (78.4 km²), of which 30.2 square miles (78.1 km²) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km²), or 0.43%, is water.[6]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 14,054 people, 6,220 households, and 3,800 families residing in the city. The population density was 461.5 people per square mile (178.2/km²). There were 7,058 housing units at an average density of 231.8 per square mile (89.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.28% White, 21.60% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.73% of the population.

There were 6,220 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. Of all households, 35.6% were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,436, and the median income for a family was $35,232. Males had a median income of $29,027 versus $21,071 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,452. About 18.2% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 23.9% of those age 65 or over.

• Veranda Health Center
• Magnolia Regional Health Center

• Neal Brooks Biggers, Jr., federal judge
• Don Blasingame, baseball player
• Ezekiel S. Candler, Jr., U.S. congressman
• Bert Cumby, Army intelligence officer
• Larry Dorsey, football coach
• Steve Gaines, pastor
• Frances Gaither, novelist
• Philip Henson, scout and spy
• Etheridge Knight, poet
• Peggy Smith Martin, Illinois state representative[20]
• Jimbo Mathus, musician
• Thomas K. McCraw, educator
• Maty Noyes, singer
• John F. Osborne, editor and journalist
• Rubel Phillips, politician
• Thomas Hal Phillips, author
• J.E. Pitts, poet and songwriter
• Saving Abel, rock band
• Everett Sharp, football player
• Jackie Simpson, professional football player.
• Orma Rinehart Smith, federal judge
• Roscoe Turner, aviator
• Jack Yarber, musician
• Bobby Emmons, American keyboard player and songwriter, keyboardist of The Memphis Boys keyboards on tracks by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson
• Weyman "Big Daddy" Hilliard Cox, W.W.II U.S.Navy SEEBEE's, University of Mississippi Football / Quarterback - 1925.

• Corinth Depot
• Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves - a garage band from Corinth
• Slugburger

• Brieger, James. Hometown, Mississippi. (1997). ISBN 1-886017-27-1

• Corinth, Mississippi travel guide from Wikivoyage
• City of Corinth official website

External image
Corinth, Miss. Collection—Mississippi Department of Archives and History

• "Corinth, a village and the capital of Alcorn co., Mississippi" . The American Cyclopædia. 1879.