Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
County | |
 Jefferson Davis County Courthouse in Prentiss | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:31°34′N89°49′W / 31.56°N 89.82°W /31.56; -89.82 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Named after | Jefferson Davis |
| Seat | Prentiss |
| Largest town | Prentiss |
| Area | |
• Total | 409 sq mi (1,060 km2) |
| • Land | 408 sq mi (1,060 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,321 |
| • Density | 27.7/sq mi (10.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www.jeffersondaviscountyms.com |
Jefferson Davis County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMississippi. As of the2020 census, the population was 11,321.[1] Itscounty seat isPrentiss.[2] The county is named after MississippiSenator andConfederate PresidentJefferson Davis. The county was carved out ofCovington andLawrence counties in March 1906. GovernorJames K. Vardaman signed the bill creating the county on May 9, 1906.
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 westernCovington County and easternLawrence 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 oratorSeargent Smith Prentiss, or wealthy landownerPrentiss 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 theEighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.Round dancing in the community hall was banned in 1938.
In 1935, notorious bank robberRaymond Hamilton, known to hide out in the county's wilderness, was involved in a hostage situation after robbing Prentiss' Bank of Blountville, but escaped inMemphis.[3]
According to theU.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]
U.S. Route 84
Mississippi Highway 13
Mississippi Highway 35
Mississippi Highway 42
Mississippi Highway 43| 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% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 11,059 | [5] | −2.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2013[10] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,330 | 38.25% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,622 | 58.49% |
| Native American | 8 | 0.07% |
| Asian | 21 | 0.19% |
| Other/Mixed | 239 | 2.11% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 101 | 0.89% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 11,321 people, 4,713 households, and 3,003 families residing in the county.
Typical of a majority-black county in Mississippi, Jefferson Davis leans Democratic and last voted Republican in 1984.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 43 | 6.63% | 542 | 83.51% | 64 | 9.86% |
| 1916 | 45 | 6.59% | 634 | 92.83% | 4 | 0.59% |
| 1920 | 179 | 26.76% | 485 | 72.50% | 5 | 0.75% |
| 1924 | 88 | 10.73% | 732 | 89.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 163 | 16.00% | 856 | 84.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 30 | 3.09% | 940 | 96.71% | 2 | 0.21% |
| 1936 | 67 | 4.81% | 1,325 | 95.05% | 2 | 0.14% |
| 1940 | 38 | 2.86% | 1,289 | 96.92% | 3 | 0.23% |
| 1944 | 88 | 6.03% | 1,372 | 93.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 51 | 3.30% | 41 | 2.66% | 1,452 | 94.04% |
| 1952 | 473 | 22.53% | 1,626 | 77.47% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 156 | 10.92% | 1,049 | 73.41% | 224 | 15.68% |
| 1960 | 225 | 13.06% | 510 | 29.60% | 988 | 57.34% |
| 1964 | 2,351 | 90.91% | 235 | 9.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 297 | 6.79% | 1,465 | 33.48% | 2,614 | 59.73% |
| 1972 | 2,830 | 72.83% | 1,005 | 25.86% | 51 | 1.31% |
| 1976 | 1,868 | 39.76% | 2,747 | 58.47% | 83 | 1.77% |
| 1980 | 2,280 | 36.85% | 3,831 | 61.92% | 76 | 1.23% |
| 1984 | 2,884 | 51.81% | 2,644 | 47.50% | 38 | 0.68% |
| 1988 | 2,745 | 47.92% | 2,948 | 51.47% | 35 | 0.61% |
| 1992 | 2,228 | 39.55% | 2,991 | 53.10% | 414 | 7.35% |
| 1996 | 1,890 | 38.84% | 2,663 | 54.73% | 313 | 6.43% |
| 2000 | 2,437 | 45.83% | 2,835 | 53.32% | 45 | 0.85% |
| 2004 | 2,668 | 46.28% | 2,959 | 51.33% | 138 | 2.39% |
| 2008 | 2,871 | 38.96% | 4,454 | 60.43% | 45 | 0.61% |
| 2012 | 2,507 | 36.52% | 4,267 | 62.16% | 90 | 1.31% |
| 2016 | 2,466 | 39.54% | 3,720 | 59.64% | 51 | 0.82% |
| 2020 | 2,534 | 40.79% | 3,599 | 57.93% | 80 | 1.29% |
| 2024 | 2,302 | 42.80% | 3,041 | 56.55% | 35 | 0.65% |
Jefferson Davis County Courthouse in Prentiss is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
All residents are zoned to theJefferson Davis County School District.[13]
The county is in the zone ofPearl River Community College.[14]
Media related toJefferson Davis County, Mississippi at Wikimedia CommonsPlaces adjacent to Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofJefferson Davis County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This community also has portions in adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
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