Webster County, Mississippi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Webster County
U.S. county
Cemetery of Greensboro Baptist Church in Webster County. The large white marble tombstone marks the grave of William F. Brantley, General, C.S.A.
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1874
Named for	Daniel Webster
Seat	Walthall
Largest city	Eupora
Area
• Total	423 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Land	421 sq mi (1,090 km2)
• Water	2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  0.5%
Population  (2010)
• Total	10,253
• Estimate  (2018)	9,788
• Density	24.239/sq mi (9.359/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Webster County is a county located in center of the U.S. state of Mississippi, bordered on the south by the Big Black River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,253.

The county was organized in 1874 during the Reconstruction era; the biracial legislature named it after Massachusetts statesman Daniel Webster. Its county seat is Walthall, designated in 1876.

After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Webster County voters established this as a "dry county." In 2018 the legislature passed a bill allowing the transport of alcohol through even dry counties in the state.

History

Old Greensboro was known for the old Webster County Seat and is still known for the Old Greensboro Cemetery. In 1872 the county seat was moved from Greensboro to LaGrange. In 1874 Sumner County was formed and Greensboro again became a county seat, but this only lasted until 1876 when it was moved to Walthall. Greensboro, which had already begun to deteriorate, rapidly declined. Today the only sign left of its existence is the old Greensboro cemetery. Greensboro was originally the county seat of Choctaw County. Choctaw County was formed from territory acquired in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1833. At that time it was a much larger county taking in what is now all of Webster County, and the eastern part of Montgomery County and a small portion of Grenada County.

The town of Greensboro, which was centrally located and Choctaw County was inhabited by settlers primarily from Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. The temporary courthouse and log jail were replaced in 1839 by a brick courthouse and jail. This courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1865 supposedly by an arsonist. Almost all of the early records were destroyed in the fire.

Greensboro at one time consisted of several types of stores and shops, saloons, a livery stable, a brick yard, and a newspaper. Greensboro had a Methodist church as early as 1839 and a Baptist church was begun in 1846. The Greensboro Lodge No. 49 of Free and Accepted Masons was chartered in 1842.

Greensboro had the reputation of a rough and lawless town, many notorious criminals and murders were located there.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 423 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 421 square miles (1,090 km²) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) (0.5%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 82
• Mississippi Highway 9
• Mississippi Highway 15
• Mississippi Highway 46
• Mississippi Highway 50
• Natchez Trace Parkway

Adjacent counties

• Calhoun County (north)
• Chickasaw County (northeast)
• Clay County (east)
• Oktibbeha County (southeast)
• Choctaw County (south)
• Montgomery County (west)
• Grenada County (northwest)

National protected area

• Natchez Trace Parkway (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,926 people, 3,782 households, and 2,687 families residing in the county.

Communities

City

• Eupora

Towns

• Maben (mostly in Oktibbeha County)
• Mathiston (partly in Choctaw County)

Villages

• Mantee
• Walthall (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Webster (Misisipi) para niños