Yalobusha County, Mississippi

Yalobusha County, Mississippi
Location in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 21, 1834
Seat	Coffeeville and Water Valley
Largest city	Water Valley
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	495.00 sq mi (1,282 km²) 467.12 sq mi (1,210 km²) 27.88 sq mi (72 km²), 5.63%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	12,678 28/sq mi (11/km²)

Yalobusha County Courthouse in Coffeeville, Mississippi

Yalobusha County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2010, the population was 12,678. Its county seats are Water Valley and Coffeeville.

History

Yalobusha is a native American word meaning "tadpole place," and before the county which bears that name was formed, it was the home of both Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian tribes.

In 1816, General Andrew Jackson ordered the surveying of the Choctaw-Chickasaw Line. The line as surveyed then cut almost a perfect diagonal across the area making up the present day Yalobusha County. The Choctaws ceded their Mississippi lands to the United States in 1830 through the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. Two years later, the Chickasaw signed the Treaty of Pontotoc, ceding their lands to the United States.

In 1833, the Mississippi Legislature authorized the formation of 17 counties, including Yalobusha, on what had been Indian land.

Yalobusha County was officially organized and its first officials elected February 21, 1834. The first Board of Police held its first meeting at Hendersonville, then the largest settlement in the county.

Hendersonville was a settlement established in 1798 by John Henderson, a Presbyterian missionary who was one of the first white men to settle in the county. Other early settlements were Elliot, Chocchuma, Tuscohoma, Pittsburg, Talahoma, Plummerville, Preston, Pharsalia, Sardinia, and Washington.

At its first meeting the Board of Police solicited donations of land for a county seat, and at its second meeting, the Board selected a site and named it Coffeeville in honor of General John Coffee, who had represented the United States in the treaties with both the Choctaws and the Chickasaws. The next Board meeting was held in the new town, and in 1837 the first courthouse in Coffeeville was built.

Later that same year, one of the early settlers in the northeastern part of the county, G.B. Ragsdale, established a stagecoach stand near what is now Water Valley. In 1848 the town of Oakland, Mississippi was chartered.

Yalobusha County had a population of 12,248 in its first census, taken in 1840. In 1844, a post office was opened at Ragsdale's Stand. Three years later, the post office and stagecoach stand were moved to land owned by William Carr, and the name of the post office was changed to Water Valley.

One prominent early Yalobusha County landowner was James K. Polk, who was later elected President of the United States,. Polk had purchased a plantation south of Coffeeville in 1835 and after Polk's death, his wife managed the plantation successfully for several years.

In 1850, the county's population was 17,258. In 1852, Calhoun County was formed, and a tier of townships on the eastern border of Yalobusha County were taken to form part of the new county.

The Illinois Central Railroad built a branch line from Jackson, Tennessee to Grenada, passing through Water Valley and Coffeeville, in the late 1850s. ICRR officials wanted to set up shops in Coffeeville, but could not obtain the property they wanted. Residents of the fledging town of Water Valley offered to donate the needed land to the railroad; therefore, the shops were located there, and Water Valley quickly became the largest town in the county. It was officially chartered in 1858, and at that time had a population of 300.

In 1860, the county's population was 16,952. Water Valley had become a thriving community with two hotels and several churches. The first church built in Water Valley was the Presbyterian Church built in 1843. Two years later, the First Methodist Church was organized, and in 1860 the First Baptist Church of Water Valley was organized.

With the completion of the railroad from New Orleans to the Ohio River, and because the ICRR's shops were located there, Water Valley was an important railroad community on the Mississippi Central railroad at the outset of the Civil War. In 1862, Union during General Grant's overland attempt to capture Vicksburg, Union troops captured Water Valley, but were defeated in battle north of Coffeeville and Grant withdrew, burning most of the town during his retreat.

After the war, the railroad shops were built at Water Valley, bringing a large influx of new residents to the town. In 1867, Yalobusha County's first manufacturing industry, Yacona Mills was the world's largest manufacturer of twine.

The Reconstruction Legislature in Mississippi created a number of new counties. Grenada County was formed in 1870 and included nearly two tiers of townships which had formerly been the southern part of Yalobusha County.

In March, 1873, Yalobusha County was divided into two judicial districts, and Water Valley was named the county seat of the second judicial district. Because the town overlapped the Yalobusha-Lafayette County line, the legislature gave Yalobusha a two-mile strip of land from the southern portion of Lafayette County.

The town of Tillatoba was chartered in 1873. In 1880, Yalobusha County's population was 15,649.

In 1889, Coffeeville's second courthouse, which had been built in 1840 at a cost of $25,000, burned down. A new courthouse, also costing $25,000, was built in 1890. That year, the county population was 16,629.

Famed railroad engineer J. L. "Casey" Jones moved from Jackson, Tennessee to Water Valley in 1893. In 1896, four years before his death in a train wreck which brought him fame, Jones moved back to Jackson.

A new courthouse was built in Water Valley in 1896, and 16 years later, it burned down. The second judicial district offices were moved to the Water Valley City Hall, but within a month, it too burned. The courthouse was restored after the fire, and a third floor was added but never completed.

Yalobusha County's population peaked in 1910, with that year's census showing a population of 21,519. By 1920, the population had fallen to 18,738, and it continued to decline steadily for the next 50 years.

Between 1926–1928, Yalobusha County suffered two tremendous economic setbacks. In April 1926, Yacona Twine Mill, which had employed approximately 450 people, burned down. The next year, the ICRR began moving its railroad shops from Water Valley to Paducah, Kentucky. By the end of 1928, these shops, which had at one time employed over 800 people in Water Valley, were gone.

In 1931, the first Watermelon Carnival was held in Water Valley. The carnival was a great success, drawing 20,000 visitors to Water Valley. For the next nine years, the Watermelon Carnival was an annual event bringing national recognition to Water Valley, which was proclaimed the "Watermelon Capital of the World" in 1932. However, the Watermelon Carnival was suspended at the beginning of World War II, and another one was not held until 1980. Since this time it has been an annual event the first Saturday in August.

There was little industry in Yalobusha County after the war, and in 1950, the county's population was down to 15,191. In the early 1950s the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work on two flood control reservoirs in and around Yalobusha County, much to the distress of county farmers who lost thousands of acres of fertile bottom land. However, Enid Lake and Grenada Lake, both completed in 1955, have become popular recreation spots for local people and for visitors from throughout the nation.

Yalobusha County's population was 12,502 in 1960, and in 1970, it bottomed out at 11,915. The 1980 census shows that the county gained over 1,200 new residents since 1970, giving it a population of 13,139.

Since the 1960s, Yalobusha County has been successful in attracting new industries to boost its economic growth. Today, its two largest industrial employers have a combined total of well over 2,000 employees, and several other local industries provide hundreds of additional jobs for county residents.

Notable residents

• President James K. Polk, who purchased a plantation south of Coffeeville in 1835
• Don Briscoe, television/soap opera actor (1940–2004)

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 495.00 square miles (1,282.0 km²), of which 467.12 square miles (1,209.8 km²) (or 94.37%) is land and 27.88 square miles (72.2 km²) (or 5.63%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 55
• U.S. Highway 51
• Mississippi Highway 7
• Mississippi Highway 32

Adjacent counties

• Lafayette County (northeast)
• Calhoun County (east)
• Grenada County (south)
• Tallahatchie County (west)
• Panola County (northwest)

National protected area

• Holly Springs National Forest (part)

Demographics

Age pyramid Yalobusha County

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	12,248		—
1850	17,258		40.9%
1860	16,952		−1.8%
1870	13,254		−21.8%
1880	15,649		18.1%
1890	16,629		6.3%
1900	19,742		18.7%
1910	21,519		9.0%
1920	18,738		−12.9%
1930	17,750		−5.3%
1940	18,387		3.6%
1950	15,191		−17.4%
1960	12,502		−17.7%
1970	11,915		−4.7%
1980	13,139		10.3%
1990	12,033		−8.4%
2000	13,051		8.5%
2010	12,678		−2.9%
MS Counties 1900-1990 GeoHive - 2000 & 2010 statistics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,051 people, 5,260 households, and 3,597 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 6,224 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.46% White, 38.66% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,260 households out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.60% were married couples living together, 17.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.60% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,315, and the median income for a family was $31,801. Males had a median income of $27,009 versus $20,236 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,953. About 19.50% of families and 21.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.10% of those under age 18 and 21.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Cities
  • Water Valley

• Towns
  • Coffeeville
  • Oakland
  • Tillatoba

• Unincorporated places
  • Scobey

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Yalobusha County, Mississippi