Tishomingo County, Mississippi

The Old County Courthouse at Iuka

Tishomingo County was organized February 9, 1836, from Chickasaw lands that were ceded to the United States. The Chickasaw were forced by Indian Removal to relocate to lands in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

Jacinto was the original county seat of Tishomingo County and its historic courthouse building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Parts of the northeastern side of Tishomingo county are part of the Battle of Shiloh Civil War battlefield.

In 1870 the area was divided into Alcorn, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties. Tishomingo's county seat was relocated to Iuka.

Woodall Mountain, elevation 807 feet, is the highest point in the state of Mississippi.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 445 square miles (1,150 km²), of which 424 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 20 square miles (52 km²) (4.6%) is water.[3] The highest natural point in Mississippi, the 806 feet (246 meter) Woodall Mountain, is located in the county. Tishomingo County is the only county in Mississippi with outcroppings of natural limestone formations.[4]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 19,593 people living in the county. 94.5% were White, 2.6% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 1.7% of some other race and 0.8% of two or more races. 2.8% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census[10] of 2000 there were 19,163 people, 7,917 households, and 5,573 families living in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 9,553 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.93% White, 3.11% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

By 2005 the population was 93.4% non-Hispanic white. 3.6% of the population was African-American. 2.6% of the population was Latino.

In 2000 there were 7,917 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,315, and the median income for a family was $34,378. Males had a median income of $28,109 versus $19,943 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,395. About 11% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.

• Tishomingo State Park is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, north of Tupelo, Mississippi. Activities in the park including canoeing, rock climbing, fishing and hiking. The park was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s. Many of the original buildings are still standing. The park is named for an early leader of the Chickasaw nation, Tishomingo (1734-1838).
• J.P. Coleman State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is located north of Iuka off Mississippi Highway 25. It sits along the banks of the Tennessee River and Pickwick Lake. The park is named for James P. Coleman, a former governor of Mississippi. Activities include sailing, swimming, camping, hiking, skiing, and fishing for smallmouth bass.
• Bay Springs Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is impounded by the Jamie Whitten Lock and Dam. The lake is approximately nine miles long, between waterway mile markers 412 at the dam, and 421 near the entrance to the divide cut.
• The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway (popularly known as the "Tenn-Tom") is a 234-mile (377 km) artificial waterway that provides a connecting link between the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers. The waterway begins at Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River, then flows southward through northeast Mississippi and west Alabama, finally connecting with the established Warrior-Tombigbee navigation system at Demopolis, Alabama.

Tishomingo County was referred to in the Coen brothers' film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

• Battle of Iuka
• Natchez Trace Parkway
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Tishomingo County, Mississippi
• Woodall Mountain

• History of Old Tishomingo County, Mississippi Territory. Compiled and Edited by Fan Alexander Cochran. Oklahoma City, Okla. 1969.CS1 maint: others (link)

• Tishomingo County Development Foundation
• Tishomingo County Historical and Genealogical Society
• Tishomingo County Tourism Council