Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi County in Mississippi, United States
County in Mississippi
Jefferson Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi . As of the 2020 census , the population was 11,321.[ 1] Its county seat is Prentiss .[ 2] The county is named after Mississippi Senator and Confederate President Jefferson Davis . The county was carved out of Covington and Lawrence counties in March 1906. Governor James K. Vardaman signed the bill creating the county on May 9, 1906.
History
The genesis of the county occurred on March 31, 1906, when a Mississippi state legislative act authorized the new country's boundaries. The residents of western Covington County and eastern Lawrence County had frequently complained of the rivers and streams impeding the route to their respective county seats. Jefferson Davis County was the state's 77th county.
A 1906 special referendum determined that the county seat would be Prentiss, named for either famed Mississippi lawmaker and orator Seargent Smith Prentiss , or wealthy landowner Prentiss Webb Berry . The settlement was originally named Blountville after early settler William Blount.
In 1933, the county was the first in Mississippi to issue a prohibition on alcohol after the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution . Round dancing in the community hall was banned in 1938.
In 1935, notorious bank robber Raymond Hamilton , known to hide out in the county's wilderness, was involved in a hostage situation after robbing Prentiss' Bank of Blountville, but escaped in Memphis .[ 3]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 409 square miles (1,060 km2 ), of which 408 square miles (1,060 km2 ) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2 ) (0.2%) is water.[ 4]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
Historical population
Census Pop. Note %±
1910 12,860 — 1920 12,755 −0.8% 1930 14,281 12.0% 1940 15,869 11.1% 1950 15,500 −2.3% 1960 13,540 −12.6% 1970 12,936 −4.5% 1980 13,846 7.0% 1990 14,051 1.5% 2000 13,962 −0.6% 2010 12,487 −10.6% 2020 11,321 −9.3% 2023 (est.) 10,969 [ 5] −3.1%
As of the 2020 United States census , there were 11,321 people, 4,713 households, and 3,003 families residing in the county.
Communities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Ghost town
Politics
Typical of a majority-black county in Mississippi, Jefferson Davis leans Democratic and last voted Republican in 1984.
United States presidential election results for Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi[ 12]
Year
Republican
Democratic
Third party(ies)
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
2024
2,302
42.80%
3,041
56.55%
35
0.65%
2020
2,534
40.79%
3,599
57.93%
80
1.29%
2016
2,466
39.54%
3,720
59.64%
51
0.82%
2012
2,507
36.52%
4,267
62.16%
90
1.31%
2008
2,871
38.96%
4,454
60.43%
45
0.61%
2004
2,668
46.28%
2,959
51.33%
138
2.39%
2000
2,437
45.83%
2,835
53.32%
45
0.85%
1996
1,890
38.84%
2,663
54.73%
313
6.43%
1992
2,228
39.55%
2,991
53.10%
414
7.35%
1988
2,745
47.92%
2,948
51.47%
35
0.61%
1984
2,884
51.81%
2,644
47.50%
38
0.68%
1980
2,280
36.85%
3,831
61.92%
76
1.23%
1976
1,868
39.76%
2,747
58.47%
83
1.77%
1972
2,830
72.83%
1,005
25.86%
51
1.31%
1968
297
6.79%
1,465
33.48%
2,614
59.73%
1964
2,351
90.91%
235
9.09%
0
0.00%
1960
225
13.06%
510
29.60%
988
57.34%
1956
156
10.92%
1,049
73.41%
224
15.68%
1952
473
22.53%
1,626
77.47%
0
0.00%
1948
51
3.30%
41
2.66%
1,452
94.04%
1944
88
6.03%
1,372
93.97%
0
0.00%
1940
38
2.86%
1,289
96.92%
3
0.23%
1936
67
4.81%
1,325
95.05%
2
0.14%
1932
30
3.09%
940
96.71%
2
0.21%
1928
163
16.00%
856
84.00%
0
0.00%
1924
88
10.73%
732
89.27%
0
0.00%
1920
179
26.76%
485
72.50%
5
0.75%
1916
45
6.59%
634
92.83%
4
0.59%
1912
43
6.63%
542
83.51%
64
9.86%
Historic sites
Jefferson Davis County Courthouse in Prentiss is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .
Education
All residents are zoned to the Jefferson Davis County School District .[ 13]
The county is in the zone of Pearl River Community College .[ 14]
See also
References
^ "Census - Geography Profile: Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi" . United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 9, 2023 .
^ "Find a County" . National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011 .
^ "Jefferson Davis County Mississippi Genealogy & History Network" . jeffdavis.msghn.org . Retrieved March 3, 2018 .
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files" . United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2014 .
^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024 .
^ "U.S. Decennial Census" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2014 .
^ "Historical Census Browser" . University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 4, 2014 .
^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2014 .
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2014 .
^ "State & County QuickFacts" . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2013 .
^ "Explore Census Data" . data.census.gov . Retrieved December 16, 2021 .
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections" . uselectionatlas.org . Retrieved March 3, 2018 .
^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jefferson Davis County, MS" (PDF) . U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved September 27, 2024 . - Text list
^ "2014-2016 Catalog" (PDF) . Pearl River Community College. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 7, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2022 .
External links
Places adjacent to Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi
International National Other
31°34′N 89°49′W / 31.56°N 89.82°W / 31.56; -89.82