Pemiscot County, Missouri

Pemiscot County is a county located in the southeastern corner in the Bootheel in the U.S. state of Missouri, with the Mississippi River forming its eastern border. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,296.[1] The largest city and county seat is Caruthersville.[2] The county was officially organized on February 19, 1851,[3] and is named for the local bayou, taken from the Fox dialect word, pem-eskaw, meaning "liquid mud".[4] This has been an area of cotton plantations and later other commodity crops.

Pemiscot County
U.S. county
Pemiscot County Courthouse in Caruthersville
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°13′N 89°47′W
Country United States
State Missouri
FoundedFebruary 19, 1851
Named forFox word meaning "liquid mud"
SeatCaruthersville
Largest cityCaruthersville
Area
 • Total513 sq mi (1,330 km2)
 • Land493 sq mi (1,280 km2)
 • Water21 sq mi (50 km2)  4.1%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total18,296
 • Estimate 
(2018)
16,272
 • Density36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitewww.pemiscotcounty.org

Murphy Mound Archeological Site has one of the largest platform mounds in Missouri. It is a major earthwork of the Late Mississippian culture, which had settlement sites throughout the Mississippi Valley and tributaries. The site is privately owned and is not open to the public. The site may have been occupied from as early as 1200 CE and continuing to about 1541.[5]

History

Bordering the river and its floodplain, the county was devoted to agricultural development and commodity crops. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the major commodity crop was cotton, which was worked at the beginning mainly by enslaved African Americans.

After the Reconstruction era, four African Americans were lynched in the area, all during the early 1900s and in the county seat.[6] This was a period of disfranchisement for African Americans, and included heightened violence against them by racist mobs.[7]

To escape such this mistreatment, many African Americans left the county in the Great Migration, moving to big cities to seek employment. Also, with the mechanization of agriculture requiring fewer laborers, the county's population has continually declined since its peak in 1940.

Geography
The Mississippi River, viewed from Caruthersville
Ditch No. 70, a drainage ditch near Bragg City

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 513 square miles (1,330 km2), of which 493 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 21 square miles (54 km2) (4.1%) is water.[8] Fishing is a popular activity among residents in the area.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18602,962—
18702,059−30.5%
18804,299108.8%
18905,97539.0%
190012,115102.8%
191019,55961.4%
192026,63436.2%
193037,28440.0%
194046,85725.7%
195045,624−2.6%
196038,095−16.5%
197026,373−30.8%
198024,987−5.3%
199021,921−12.3%
200020,047−8.5%
201018,296−8.7%
2018 (est.)16,272[9]−11.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2015[1]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 20,047 people, 7,855 households, and 5,317 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile (16/km2). There were 8,793 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 71.76% White, 26.23% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Approximately 1.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Pemiscot County were 31.9% American, 7.8% Irish, 5.6% English, and 5.5% German ancestry.

There were 7,855 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.00% were married couples living together, 18.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.00% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,992, and the median income for a family was $33,945. Males had a median income of $27,476 versus $17,358 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,599. About 24.80% of families and 30.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.20% of those under age 18 and 23.20% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Pemiscot County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Pemiscot County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (69.98%), Methodists (7.56%), and Churches of Christ (4.76%).

Politics

Local

The Democratic Party historically controlled politics at the local level in Pemiscot County. However, the county has not been immune to the growing Republican trend in Southeast Missouri. In 2020, two Democratic incumbents switched parties, and Lisa Bowlby Sheckell (R) was elected in a contested election for the County Assessor.

Pemiscot County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor Lisa Bowlby Sheckell Republican
Circuit Clerk Kelly Cagle Maners Democratic
County Clerk Pam Treece Democratic
Collector Rhonda Parkinson Price Democratic
Commissioner
(Presiding)		 Mark Cartee Democratic
Commissioner
(District 1)		 Noble Nelson Democratic
Commissioner
(District 2)		 Baughn T. Meredith Jr. Democratic
Coroner James Brimhall Democratic
Prosecuting Attorney Jereme Lytle Democratic
Public Administrator Trina Holloman Republican
Recorder Vanessa Darnell Democratic
Sheriff Tommy Greenwell Republican
Surveyor Darrall Hirtz Democratic
Treasurer Frankie R. Stewart Democratic

State

The northern half of Pemiscot County is a part of Missouri’s 149th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Don Rone Jr. (R-Portageville).

The southern half of Pemiscot County is a part of Missouri’s 150th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by Andrew McDaniel (R-Deering).

All of Pemiscot County is a part of Missouri's 25th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by State Senator Doug Libla (R-Poplar Bluff).

The 25th Senatorial District consists of Butler, Carter, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Shannon, and Stoddard counties.

Federal

Pemiscot County is included in Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau). Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.

U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 – Pemiscot County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jo Ann Emerson 3,782 62.57 -0.25
Democratic Jack Rushin 2,184 36.14 +0.95
Libertarian Rick Vandeven 78 1.29 +0.51
U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Special Election – Pemiscot County (2013)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jason T. Smith 506 58.36
Democratic Steve Hodges 338 38.99
Constitution Doug Enyart 13 1.50
Libertarian Bill Slantz 10 1.15
Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2020 71.98% 4,030 26.61% 1,490 1.41% 79
2016 60.13% 3,534 37.59% 2,209 2.28% 134
2012 38.64% 2,338 58.83% 3,559 2.53% 153
2008 37.26% 2,491 60.50% 4,045 2.24% 150
2004 44.93% 2,965 53.46% 3,528 1.61% 106
2000 34.61% 2,053 63.80% 3,784 1.59% 94
1996 26.24% 1,461 72.31% 4,026 1.45% 81
1992 34.78% 2,275 65.22% 4,267 0.00% 0
1988 48.65% 3,033 50.87% 3,171 0.48% 30
1984 46.17% 3,112 53.83% 3,629 0.00% 0
1980 42.25% 3,067 57.60% 4,181 0.15% 11
1976 40.99% 2,743 58.86% 3,939 0.15% 10
1972 45.48% 2,940 54.37% 3,515 0.15% 10
1968 24.91% 1,714 75.09% 5.168 0.00% 0
1964 26.57% 1,922 73.43% 5,311 0.00% 0
1960 26.53% 2,986 73.47% 8,271 0.00% 0

Political culture
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 71.9% 4,116 27.2% 1,556 1.0% 55
2016 65.6% 3,964 32.2% 1,947 2.2% 132
2012 56.8% 3,598 42.2% 2,671 1.0% 66
2008 56.1% 3,954 43.0% 3,029 0.9% 64
2004 49.9% 3,398 49.7% 3,381 0.4% 27
2000 45.4% 2,750 53.6% 3,245 1.1% 65
1996 32.1% 1,820 59.4% 3,371 8.6% 486
1992 31.9% 2,161 58.0% 3,924 10.1% 683
1988 48.2% 3,066 51.7% 3,288 0.2% 10
1984 53.1% 3,733 46.9% 3,293
1980 45.5% 3,519 53.5% 4,140 0.9% 73
1976 35.1% 2,541 64.7% 4,681 0.2% 14
1972 70.0% 4,697 30.0% 2,017
1968 28.0% 2,191 34.3% 2,681 37.7% 2,950
1964 34.3% 2,658 65.7% 5,083
1960 37.9% 4,464 62.1% 7,312
1956 33.0% 3,969 67.0% 8,064
1952 31.6% 4,118 68.3% 8,913 0.1% 12
1948 18.0% 2,249 82.0% 10,269 0.1% 8
1944 36.9% 4,333 62.9% 7,380 0.2% 20
1940 38.9% 6,011 60.8% 9,391 0.3% 51
1936 33.6% 4,139 66.3% 8,171 0.1% 14
1932 35.7% 4,415 64.0% 7,909 0.3% 32
1928 54.3% 6,256 45.7% 5,259
1924 45.5% 4,811 53.1% 5,616 1.4% 146
1920 52.6% 4,443 46.2% 3,901 1.3% 109
1916 44.9% 2,076 53.0% 2,447 2.1% 98
1912 30.8% 973 51.1% 1,617 18.1% 574
1908 43.9% 1,390 54.5% 1,725 1.6% 49
1904 39.4% 923 58.7% 1,375 1.9% 45
1900 32.2% 655 67.4% 1,370 0.3% 7
1896 21.9% 355 77.9% 1,260 0.2% 3
1892 15.7% 133 82.8% 700 1.4% 12
1888 21.9% 168 78.0% 599 0.1% 1

At the presidential level, Pemiscot County, lying in the Missouri Bootheel (one of the regions in Missouri most associated with the American South), was powerfully Democratic from shortly after the Civil War through 2000. From 1868 through 2000, it voted Republican only in Harding's, Hoover's, Nixon's, and Reagan's national landslides in 1920, 1928, 1972, and 1984, respectively.[16] In 1968, it was the only county in Missouri to vote for George Wallace.

In 2004, George W. Bush flipped the county from blue to red, albeit narrowly, and since then, the county has solidified its standing as a Republican bastion. As of 2020, the county has voted Republican five times in a row, with the Republican vote share increasing in every election. In 2008, Pemiscot County swung the most Republican of all the counties in the state, as McCain improved on Bush's vote share by fully 6.2%, already besting not only Bush but every Republican to have carried the county in at least the prior hundred years apart from Nixon in 1972. In 2020, Donald Trump posted the best showing for a Republican in the county in at least over a century, with his nearly 72% exceeding Nixon's 70%. [17]

As in most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Pemiscot County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles, but are more moderate or populist on economic issues, typical of the Dixiecrat philosophy. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it passed Pemiscot County with 84.73 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters, as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Pemiscot County, with 52.41 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters, as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Pemiscot County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes, such as increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Pemiscot County with 78.01 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

In the 2008 presidential primary, voters in Pemiscot County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

  • Former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 1,270, than any candidate from either party in Pemiscot County during the 2008 presidential primary. She also received more votes than the total number of votes cast in the entire Republican Primary in Pemiscot County.
Pemiscot County, Missouri
2008 Republican primary in Missouri
John McCain233 (23.75%)
Mike Huckabee565 (57.59%)
Mitt Romney149 (15.19%)
Ron Paul20 (2.04%)
Pemiscot County, Missouri
2008 Democratic primary in Missouri
Hillary Clinton1,270 (70.83%)
Barack Obama466 (25.99%)
John Edwards (withdrawn)34 (1.90%)
Uncommitted19 (1.06%)

Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older in Pemiscot County, 58.2% possess a high school diploma or higher, while 8.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher as their greatest educational attainment.

Public schools

Alternative/vocational schools
  • Diagnostic Center - Hayti - (K-12) - Special education
  • External Locations - Hayti - (K-12) - Special education
  • Oak View Learning Center - Hayti - (K-12) - Special education
  • Pemiscot County Vocational School - Hayti - (11-12) - Vocational/technical

Public libraries
  • Caruthersville Public Library[18]
  • Conran Memorial Library[19]
  • Steele Public Library[20]

Communities

Cities

Village

Former village

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated places

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. Douglass, Robert Sidney. History of Southeast Missouri. I. Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing. p. 313.
  4. Eaton, David Wolfe (1917). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 338.
  5. O'Brien, Michael J. and Robert C. Dunnell. (1998) 1998 Changing Perspectives on the Archaeology of the Central Mississippi Valley. University of Missouri Press, Columbia
  6. "Lynching in Missouri", Saline County, Missouri/GenWeb Project
  7. Lynching in America/ Supplement: Lynchings by County, 3rd edition Archived 2017-10-23 at the Wayback Machine, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, 2015, p. 7
  8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  9. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  12. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  16. "County winners, 1836-2016". Google Docs. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  17. campaigns, Steven ShepardSenior; A.m, Elections Editor12:52. "Live election results: 2020 Missouri results". www.politico.com. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  18. Breeding, Marshall. "Caruthersville Public Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  19. Breeding, Marshall. "Conran Memorial Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  20. Breeding, Marshall. "Steele Public Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.

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