Quitman County, Mississippi

Quitman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,223,[1] making it the fifth-least populous county in Mississippi. Its county seat is Marks.[2] The county is named after John A. Quitman, Governor of Mississippi from 1835 to 1836 and from 1850 to 1851.

Not to be confused with Quitman, Mississippi.
Quitman County
U.S. county
Quitman County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°15′N 90°17′W
Country United States
State Mississippi
Founded1877
Named forJohn A. Quitman
SeatMarks
Largest townLambert
Area
 • Total406 sq mi (1,050 km2)
 • Land405 sq mi (1,050 km2)
 • Water1.4 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total8,223
 • Estimate 
(2018)
7,051
 • Density20/sq mi (7.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websitequitmancountyms.org

Quitman County is located in the Mississippi Delta region of Mississippi.

History

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.[3] 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."[4] More recently, Quitman County residents have made an effort to promote tourism based on the county's role in the Poor People's Campaign.[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406 square miles (1,050 km2), of which 405 square miles (1,050 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) (0.3%) is water.[5] It is the fourth-smallest county in Mississippi by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

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.

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18801,407—
18903,286133.5%
19005,43565.4%
191011,593113.3%
192019,86171.3%
193025,30427.4%
194027,1917.5%
195025,885−4.8%
196021,019−18.8%
197015,888−24.4%
198012,636−20.5%
199010,490−17.0%
200010,117−3.6%
20108,223−18.7%
2018 (est.)7,051[6]−14.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[1]

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).

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 10,117 people, 3,565 households, and 2,506 families living in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile (10/km2). There were 3,923 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km2). 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.[12] 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,[13] near Lambert.[14] Camp B was one of Parchman's largest African-American housing units.[14] Camp B's buildings have been demolished.[15] 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."[16]

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[17]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 29.8% 1,001 68.7% 2,312 1.6% 52
2012 28.1% 1,116 71.3% 2,837 0.7% 26
2008 32.0% 1,334 67.3% 2,803 0.7% 31
2004 39.8% 1,360 59.5% 2,032 0.8% 26
2000 37.5% 1,280 61.6% 2,103 0.9% 30
1996 32.5% 1,121 63.5% 2,186 4.0% 138
1992 35.5% 1,451 59.2% 2,422 5.4% 220
1988 42.1% 1,832 57.4% 2,497 0.5% 22
1984 48.3% 2,198 51.5% 2,343 0.2% 7
1980 35.2% 1,691 60.8% 2,926 4.0% 193
1976 31.8% 1,287 64.8% 2,621 3.4% 137
1972 74.4% 2,524 23.3% 790 2.3% 78
1968 9.9% 434 34.3% 1,502 55.8% 2,443
1964 86.0% 2,065 14.0% 336
1960 19.2% 299 37.5% 583 43.3% 674
1956 18.4% 276 63.6% 954 18.0% 269
1952 29.8% 492 70.2% 1,158
1948 1.8% 21 7.8% 91 90.3% 1,048
1944 5.1% 59 94.9% 1,106
1940 2.5% 29 97.5% 1,152 0.1% 1
1936 0.9% 9 99.0% 1,025 0.1% 1
1932 2.4% 18 97.0% 720 0.5% 4
1928 9.8% 86 90.2% 793
1924 5.9% 36 94.1% 574
1920 9.4% 39 90.4% 377 0.2% 1
1916 4.2% 12 95.4% 272 0.4% 1
1912 1.8% 4 89.0% 195 9.1% 20

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.[18] 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.[18]

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.[4] 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.[19]

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

School Total Students White Students Black Students Note
Delta Academy (Private) 175 147 (84.0%) 17 (9.7%) [20]
M. S. Palmer High School (Public) 351 4 (1.1%) 347 (98.9%) [21]
Combined (Public plus private) 526 151 (28.7%) 364 (69.2%)

Communities

City

Towns

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. Amy Bach (2009). Ordinary Injustice: How America Holds Court. New York: Metropolitan Books. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-8050-7447-5.
  4. Amy Nathan Wright. "The 1968 Poor People's Campaign: Marks, Mississippi and the Mule Train". pp. 109–143. in Emilye Crosby, ed. (2011). Civil Rights History from the Ground Up: Local Struggles, a National Movement. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-3865-1. at google books
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  12. "COMMUNITY WORK CENTERS Archived 2010-08-15 at the Wayback Machine", Mississippi Department of Corrections; retrieved September 23, 2010.
  13. "Quitman County General Highway Map", Mississippi Department of Transportation; retrieved September 20, 2010.
  14. William Ferris. Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Blues. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-3325-4.; accessed November 17, 2014.
  15. "FEATURED WRITER OF THE MONTH Interview with: WILLIAM FERRIS" Archived June 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, 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,[...]"
  16. "2010 Mississippi Code TITLE 47 Ch. 5 §47-5-131 - Offenders to work certain roads; Quitman County". Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  18. "1 F. 3d 1450 - Hull v. Quitman County Board of Education". 2 September 1993. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  19. "Mississippi Assessment and Accountability Reporting System". Office of Research and Statistics, Mississippi Department of Education. Archived from the original on March 23, 2007.
  20. "Delta Academy". National Center for Educational Statistics. US Department of Education. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  21. "M S Palmer High School". National Center for Educational Statistics. US Department of Education. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  22. Home. Delta Academy. Retrieved on April 8, 2012. "1150 Riverside Drive Marks, MS 38646"
  23. Sebastian Danchin (2001). Earl Hooker, Blues Master. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-57806-307-9. Available at Google Books
  24. "Charley Pride". Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  25. Tony Russell (10 November 2006). "Obituary of Snooky Pryor". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  26. Tony Russell (1997). The Blues - From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 171. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.

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