Jefferson Davis County, Mississippi


Jefferson Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 [United States census|2020 census], the population was 11,321. Its county seat is Prentiss. 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.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 11,321. The median age was 44.9 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 38.5% White, 58.7% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 0.9% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,777 households in the county, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.3% were married-couple households, 21.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,641 housing units, of which 15.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.0% were owner-occupied and 19.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.6%.

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.

Historic sites

in Prentiss is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Education

All residents are zoned to the Jefferson Davis County School District.
The county is in the zone of Pearl River Community College.