Leota, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leota, Mississippi
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 Leota, Mississippi
Location in Mississippi
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| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Washington |
| Elevation | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 687243 |
Leota is a ghost town located in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, and little remains. Leota, along with its river port called Leota Landing, used to be right on the Mississippi River.
History
Leota and Leota Landing were both started on a large farm called the Leota Plantation. Isaac Worthington founded this plantation in 1825. It was located a few miles north of Princeton, which was once the main town of the county.
Worthington's daughter, Annie, named the plantation. She named it after a character she liked from a story.
Leota became a very important river port. It was a busy shipping point for cotton between big cities like Memphis, Tennessee and Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The settlement of Leota officially became a town in 1882. It had a post office and about 50 people living there in 1900.
Today, not much is left of Leota. The area is now covered by forest and part of the Mississippi River levee, which is a wall built to prevent floods.
Notable People
- Wilford Horace Smith - He was the first black lawyer to win a case before the Supreme Court of the United States. This is the highest court in the country.
