Harperville, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harperville, Mississippi
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 Harperville, Mississippi
Location in Mississippi
Harperville, Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Scott |
| Elevation | 407 ft (124 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 250 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
39080
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| Area code(s) | 601 & 769 |
| GNIS feature ID | 693419 |
Harperville is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in rural Scott County, Mississippi, United States. Harperville is located on Mississippi Highway 35, 9 miles (14 km) north of Forest. Harperville has a post office with ZIP code 39080.
It was first named as a CDP in the 2020 Census which listed a population of 250.
History
Harperville was named for G. W. Harper, an early European-American settler.
In October 23-25, 1898, Harperville was the scene of what national reporters described as a "race war", when a white mob retaliated for African Americans resisting arrest. One African American allegedly had a confrontation with his white boss; when a white posse showed up at his house to arrest him, his friends shot at the group to force them away. They fatally shot a deputy and wounded three others. Hearing about it in Harperville, a white mob quickly gathered, hunting down and killing at least nine blacks from that night through the next day. They continued hunting more suspects and were said to have buried some in the woods. It is not clear how many blacks were killed by the mobs. The county sheriff gathered a posse, and the governor asked for National Guard support. Governor Anselm J. McLaurin went by train to Forest to assess the situation.
After arresting several African Americans, the sheriff took them under armed guard from Harperville to the county seat at Forest for their safety, fearing he would be unable to deal with the mob. He nearly had to fight his way out of Harperville. The night of October 24, Sheriff Stevenson took the black suspects by train to the county seat at Meridian, Mississippi, in Lauderdale County for their safety, as he had heard rumors of a planned lynching of the prisoners.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 250 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2020 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 180 | 72.00% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 51 | 20.40% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 0 | 0.00% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1 | 0.40% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0.00% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 1 | 0.40% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 6 | 2.40% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 11 | 4.40% |
| Total | 250 | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
