Seminary, Mississippi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Seminary, Mississippi
Town
Main Street in 2011
Location of Seminary, Mississippi
Seminary, Mississippi Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Covington
Area
• Total	1.52 sq mi (3.93 km2)
• Land	1.51 sq mi (3.91 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	253 ft (77 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	314
• Estimate  (2019)	284
• Density	187.95/sq mi (72.56/km2)
ZIP code	39479
Area code(s)	601
FIPS code	28-66400
GNIS feature ID	0677510

Historic photo of a school campus in Seminary

Seminary is a town in Covington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 314 at the 2010 census.

Okatoma Creek, part of the Pascagoula River watershed, runs through Seminary, and is popular for canoeing and kayaking.

History

1846-1890

The area was sparsely populated prior to the Civil War. In the same location as where the town sits today, Covington County resident and Presbyterian pastor A. R. Graves opened Zion Seminary, a boarding school for men and women, in 1845. The seminary offered courses in law, medicine, and religious studies. At its largest, the seminary had more than 500 students. Dormitories and cottages housed them. During the Civil War, all but one building of Zion Seminary burned. Local legend has it that the buildings were burned by Union sympathizers, but it is not clear if this is true. The seminary was in operation until it burned again in 1890. The site of the Zion Seminary was then used to build Seminary Attendance Center; the school still sits today upon this location in the center of town.

1899: The town is born

In the late 1800s, across the Piney Woods region of South Mississippi, lumber companies cut the virgin timber from these areas. Towns began springing up along railroads, then the main means of transportation. The population of Seminary began to boom in the late 1800s, but when the timber had been cut, the boom continued on to the next community. In the late 1800s, the residents petitioned the state of Mississippi to incorporate into a municipality, and the charter was granted in 1899. The newborn town's citizens chose the name "Seminary" to keep alive the memory of the Zion Seminary.

Modern-day Seminary

Seminary is still a very small town, with only a handful of businesses, including Ramey's, Dollar General, two banks, two doctor's offices, a pharmacy, an art studio, a hardware store, a barber shop, and one restaurant, The Dixie Grill. The rural area around Seminary, however, is growing significantly. The population of the area, including the town of Seminary and the rural, unincorporated communities of Okahay, Eminence, Sanford, Lux, Foxtrot, Ora, Lone Star, and Richmond, grew by more than 10% between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.

This significant growth is likely a result of a good school system and the area's proximity to Hattiesburg, which lies 10–20 minutes south of the Seminary area. New businesses are springing up on Highway 49 just outside the town's corporate limits.

Geography

Seminary is located in south-central Covington County. U.S. Highway 49 passes west of the town, leading northwest 7 miles (11 km) to Collins, the county seat, and southeast 22 miles (35 km) to Hattiesburg.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which 0.008 square miles (0.02 km²), or 0.44%, is water. Okatoma Creek travels along the western edge of the town.

Demographics

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 314 people, and 148 households. The racial makeup of the town was 94.9% White, 3.5% African American, 0.60% from other races, and 0.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 19.7% from 18 to 35, 18.2% from 35 to 49, 20.4% from 50 to 64, and 21.7% over age 65. For every 100 females, there were 73.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $24,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,857. About 3.6% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Religion

Churches within the town limits include Seminary Church of Christ, Seminary Methodist Church, and Grace Outreach Baptist Church.

Education

The city of Seminary is served Covington County School District. There are three schools within Seminary:

• Seminary Elementary (K-4)
• Seminary Middle School (5-8)
• Seminary High School (9-12)

Notable people

• Martin Sennet Conner, governor of Mississippi (1932–1936)
• Dale Houston, country music singer-songwriter
• John Wilson Watson, mayor of Seminary (1882–1892), representative in Mississippi State Legislature (1892–1894), House of Representatives (1911)

See also

In Spanish: Seminary para niños