Leakesville, Mississippi
Leakesville, Mississippi | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 28-39840 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0672343 | |
Website | leakesvillems |
Leakesville is a town in and the
History
Like most of Mississippi, this area was part of the traditional territory of the historic
A post office called Leakesville has been in operation since 1829, when European Americans established a settlement here.[5] The town was named for Walter Leake, third governor of Mississippi.[6] The area was developed for cotton plantations in the nineteenth century, and remains mostly rural.
In 1927, an African-American man named Bernice Raspberry, aged 23, who had been arrested for alleged improper conduct with a white woman, was taken from the jail and lynched.[7]
Geography
Leakesville is in southeastern Greene County, on the west side of the Chickasawhay River, a south-flowing tributary of the Pascagoula River. Via Mississippi Highway 63, it is 20 miles (32 km) south to Lucedale and 19 miles (31 km) northwest to Sand Hill. Via Highway 57, it is 24 miles (39 km) north to State Line and 17 miles (27 km) west to McLain.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Leakesville has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2), of which 0.0039 square miles (0.01 km2), or 0.31%, is water.[4]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 466 | — | |
1920 | 555 | 19.1% | |
1930 | 562 | 1.3% | |
1940 | 834 | 48.4% | |
1950 | 893 | 7.1% | |
1960 | 1,014 | 13.5% | |
1970 | 1,090 | 7.5% | |
1980 | 1,120 | 2.8% | |
1990 | 1,129 | 0.8% | |
2000 | 1,026 | −9.1% | |
2010 | 898 | −12.5% | |
2020 | 3,775 | 320.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[8] |
2020 census
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
1,686 | 44.66% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
1,981 | 52.48% |
Native American
|
7 | 0.19% |
Other/Mixed
|
51 | 1.35% |
Latino
|
50 | 1.32% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,775 people, 340 households, and 241 families residing in the town. The sudden population increase and shift in racial demographics can be explained by the annexation of the South Mississippi Correctional Institution.
2010 census
As of the
2000 census
As of the
There were 390 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 66.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,731, and the median income for a family was $33,618. Males had a median income of $30,208 versus $19,167 for females. The
Government and infrastructure
The Mississippi Department of Corrections South Mississippi Correctional Institution is located in unincorporated Greene County, near Leakesville.[11][12]
Education
Leakesville is served by the Greene County School District. Schools include Greene County High School, Leakesville Junior High School, and Leakesville Elementary School.
Notable people
- Don Churchwell, NFL player
- Kermit Davis, Head Coach at Ole Miss
- Dennis DeBar, member of the Mississippi State Senate[13]
- Reed Green, former head football coach and athletic director for the University of Southern Mississippi[14]
- Bill Hicks, comedian, buried in Magnolia Cemetery
- Jerry Lott, rockabilly singer[15]
- Wilmer Mizell, MLB pitcher and congressman
- Walter Packer, NFL player
References
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ American Map 2009 road atlas
- ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Leakesville town, Mississippi". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 20, 2016.[dead link]
- ^ "Greene County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 183.
- Clarion-Ledger. May 27, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "State Prisons Archived 2002-12-06 at the Wayback Machine." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
- ^ "MDOC QUICK REFERENCE." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
- ^ "Dennis DeBar, Jr". Billstatus.ls.state.ms.us. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-57806-709-1.
- ^ "We have Pat Boone to thank for the most psychotic and deranged rockabilly record of all time!". Dangerous Minds. June 23, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2021.