Roxie, Mississippi

Roxie was founded in 1886 on a plot of farmland donated by John Quincy Adams Graves,[4] who was the County Supervisor and a former soldier in the Regimental Band of the 4th Volunteer Mississippi Regiment during the Civil War. The town was named in honor of Graves' newborn daughter.[5]

Roxie was incorporated in 1890.

The town was located at the crossroads of the Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway and the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. Most of the early residents were employed by the railroads, or worked in the logging industry and sawmills.[6]

Roxie's children attended the Roxie School, whose motto was Home of the Tigers. In 1962, the high school portion of the school shut down, and all student from grades 9 to 12 were bussed to the new Franklin High School in Meadville. Roxie School continued for a few years after as an elementary school.[7]

Roxie is located in western Franklin County. U.S. Routes 84 and 98 pass through the town, leading east 11 miles (18 km) to Meadville, the county seat, and west 22 miles (35 km) to Natchez.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Roxie has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.9 km²), all land.[3]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 569 people, 199 households, and 153 families residing in the town. The population density was 498.9 people per square mile (192.7/km²). There were 245 housing units at an average density of 214.8 per square mile (83.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 39.72% White, 58.88% African American, 0.35% Native American, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

There were 199 households, out of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 21.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 33.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,276, and the median income for a family was $25,000. Males had a median income of $25,938 versus $27,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,472. About 29.5% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.7% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Significant forests and recreation areas are found nearby, including:

• Clear Springs Recreation Area, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Homochitto National Forest
• Sandy Creek Wildlife Management Area

Roxie is served by the Franklin County School District.

Commemorative plaque honoring Richard Wright at Natchez

• Cat Iron, blues singer and guitarist[10]
• James Ford Seale, Ku Klux Klan member convicted of conspiracy and of the 1964 kidnappings of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, two young African-American men who were drowned by him and fellow conspirators.
• Richard Nathaniel Wright (1908 – 1960), African-American author of novels, short stories and non-fiction. Wright was the grandson of slaves, and much of his literature concerned racial themes, especially those involving the struggles of African-Americans during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries.