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Pearl River County
County
Pearl River County Courthouse in Poplarville
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°46′N 89°35′W / 30.77°N 89.59°W / 30.77; -89.59
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1890
Named for	Pearl River
Seat	Poplarville
Largest city	Picayune
Area
• Total	819 sq mi (2,120 km)
• Land	811 sq mi (2,100 km)
• Water	8.0 sq mi (21 km)  1.0%
Population
• Total	56,145
• Estimate	57,978
• Density	69/sq mi (26/km)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.pearlrivercounty.net

Pearl River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The population was 56,145 at the 2020 census. Its county seat is Poplarville. Pearl River County comprises the Picayune, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the New Orleans-Metairie-Hammond, LA-MS Combined Statistical Area. Pearl River County is a dry county, and as such, the sale, transportation, and even private possession of beverage alcohol is prohibited by law, except within Picayune and Poplarville.

History

Pearl River County was originally formed as Pearl County in 1872 from portions of Hancock and Marion Counties. Because of low population density and a small tax base, Pearl County dissolved in 1878. Present-day Pearl River County was organized in 1890 by an act of the Mississippi Legislature utilizing the same land area as its predecessor Pearl County.

On the night of April 24, 1959, Mack Charles Parker, an African-American accused of rape, was abducted from the Pearl River County jail in Poplarville by a mob and shot to death. His body was found in the Pearl River 10 days later. The FBI investigated and even obtained confessions from some of the eight suspects. However, the county prosecutor refused to present evidence to a state grand jury and a federal grand jury refused to indict. The case focused national attention on the persistence of lynching in the South and helped accelerate the American Civil Rights Movement.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina inflicted heavy damage on the small town of Poplarville. The storm's most powerful, unofficially recorded gust of wind was reported at Pearl River Community College, at 135 mph (217 km/h). On September 2, 2005, the 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery (Ohio Army National Guard) arrived at the National Guard armory in Poplarville to assist the community and Pearl River County in recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Initial efforts were the security of banks, pharmacies and gas stations as well as initial responses to rural emergencies. The unit stayed for three weeks ultimately checking on every family and structure in the county. On September 5, 2005, Poplarville played host to a visit by George W. Bush, Laura Bush, and Governor Haley Barbour to Pearl River Community College in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 819 square miles (2,120 km), of which 811 square miles (2,100 km) is land and 8.0 square miles (21 km) (1.0%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in Mississippi by land area.

Major highways

• Interstate 59
• U.S. Highway 11
• Mississippi Highway 13
• Mississippi Highway 26
• Mississippi Highway 43
• Mississippi Highway 53

Adjacent counties and parishes

• Lamar County (north)
• Forrest County (northeast)
• Stone County (east)
• Hancock County (south)
• St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana (southwest)
• Washington Parish, Louisiana (west)
• Marion County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• De Soto National Forest (part)

Media

Newspaper

Picayune's local newspaper is the Picayune Item.

Radio

The local radio station is WRJW 1320-AM.

Television and Radio stations of New Orleans and Biloxi/Gulfport listening areas are part of Picayune area.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 56,145 people, 21,020 households, and 15,078 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census Pearl River County had a population of 55,834. The ethnic and racial make-up of the population was 82.2% non-Hispanic white, 12.3% African-American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% non-Hispanic from some other race, 1.7% from two or more races (0.5% reporting being white and black) and 2.9% Hispanic or Latino.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 48,621 people, 18,078 households, and 13,576 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile (23 people/km). There were 20,610 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (9.7/km). The racial makeup of the county was 85.55% White, 12.18% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 18,078 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.00% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,912, and the median income for a family was $35,924. Males had a median income of $30,370 versus $21,519 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,160. About 15.50% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.60% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Some names have changed since 2020 election. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2024)

Supervisors

• District 1: Donald Hart
• District 2: Malcolm Perry
• District 3: Hudson Holliday
• District 4: Jason Spence
• District 5: Sandy Kane Smith

Countywide Elected Officials

• Sheriff - David Allison
• Circuit Clerk - Nance Fitzpatrick Stokes
• Chancery Clerk - Melinda Smith Bowman
• Tax Assessor/Collector - Gary Beech
• County Prosecutor - Michael E. Patten
• Coroner - Derek Turnage
• County Court Judge - Richelle Lumpkin

State Legislature

• Senator Angela Burks-Hill - District 40
• Senator Joseph "Mike" Seymour - District 47
• Rep. Jansen Owen - District 106
• Rep. Stacey Wilkes - District 108
• Rep. Timmy Ladner - District 93

Communities

Cities

• Lumberton (mostly in Lamar County)
• Picayune
• Poplarville (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Hide-A-Way Lake
• Nicholson

Other unincorporated communities

• Caesar
• Carriere
• McNeill

Education

School districts include:

• Lamar County School District
• Pearl River County School District
• Picayune School District
• Poplarville Separate School District

Former school districts:

• Lumberton Public School District - Merged into the Lamar County district in 2018.

The county is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Pearl River County, Mississippi

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Pearl River County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Alcoholic Beverage Wet-Dry Map". Mississippi Department of Revenue. Archived from the original on June 25, 2014.
4. Mississippi Code §67-1-9, §67-3-13.
5. "Poplarville voters decide to turn the dry city wet". Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
6. ^ "Welcome to Pearl River County on the Web". www.pearlrivercounty.net. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
7. Thompson, Julius E. (2006). Lynchings in Mississippi: A History, 1865-1965. McFarland. p. 169. ISBN 9781476604251.
8. "Mack Charles Parker" (index of investigation reports). Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on August 10, 2004.
9. Rushdy, Ashraf H. A. (June 18, 2012). The End of American Lynching. Rutgers UP. p. 135. ISBN 9780813552934.
10. "President Visits with Residents of Poplarville, Mississippi" (press release). White House. September 5, 2005.
11. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
12. "The Picayune Item (Picayune, Miss.) 1916-Current". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
13. "WRJW 1320 AM". Radio Station USA. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
14. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
15. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
16. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
17. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
18. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
19. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
20. "QuickFacts. Pearl River County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
21. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
22. 2010 census report for Pearl River County
23. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
24. "Pearl River County Board Of Supervisors". pearlrivercounty.net. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
25. Pittari, Jeremy (October 16, 2018). "Interim county prosecutor picked via draw of straws". Picayune Item. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
26. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
27. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Pearl River County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022. - Text list - In 2020 there were four school districts
28. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Pearl River County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 25, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2022. - Text list - In 2010 there were four school districts, but at the time Lumberton district had territory in the county while Lamar County district did not have any.
29. Ciurzak, Ellen (June 8, 2018). "Lawsuit fails to derail Lumberton schools consolidation". Hattiesburg American. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
30. "2014-2016 Catalog" (PDF). Pearl River Community College. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2022.

External links

Media related to Pearl River County, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Places adjacent to Pearl River County, Mississippi
Marion County Lamar County Forrest County Washington Parish, Louisiana Pearl River County, Mississippi Stone County St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Hancock County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States
County seat: Poplarville
Cities	Lumberton‡ Picayune Poplarville
CDPs	Hide-A-Way Lake Nicholson
Other communities	Caesar Carriere McNeill
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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30°46′N 89°35′W / 30.77°N 89.59°W / 30.77; -89.59

• Mississippi counties
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• Populated places established in 1890