Kemper County

History

In the wake of the county's founding, Abel Mastin Key served as the first circuit clerk. Land in the area was developed in the 19th century by white planters for cotton cultivation using enslaved African Americans. Blacks have comprised the majority of the county population since before the American Civil War. The county continues to be largely rural.

After the American Civil War and Reconstruction, racial violence increased as whites struggled to regain power over the majority population of freedmen and to suppress their voting. In the period from 1877 to 1950, Kemper County had 24 documented lynchings of African Americans, the third-highest of Mississippi counties. Hinds and Leflore counties had 29 and 48 lynchings, respectively, in this period. This form of racial terrorism was at its height in the decades around the turn of the 20th century, which followed the state's disenfranchisement of most blacks in 1890 through creating barriers to voter registration.

In 1877 the Chisolm Massacre occurred, the murder by a mob of a judge, his children, and two of their friends while they were in protective custody in jail.

In 1890, blacks made up the majority of the county' population: 10,084 blacks to 7,845 whites. They generally worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. Often illiterate, many of the sharecroppers were at a disadvantage in the annual accounting that was done by the landowners. Sometimes the planters had grocery stores on their property and required the sharecroppers to buy all their goods there, adding to their debt.

Beginning in late December 1906, there were several days of racial terror in the county. After violent incidents on the railroad between conductors and black passengers, whites attacked blacks at the rural towns of Wahalak and Scooba; by December 27, whites had killed a total of 13 blacks in rioting. The events started with a physical confrontation between a conductor and an African-American man on a Mobile & Ohio Railroad train. The conductor was cut, and he fatally shot two black men. George Simpson, another African American thought to be involved, escaped from the train. When captured in Wahalak by a posse, he killed a white constable and was quickly lynched by the other whites.

As reported by The New York Times,

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 767 square miles (1,990 km2), of which 766 square miles (1,980 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 45

Mississippi Highway 16

Mississippi Highway 21

Mississippi Highway 39

Adjacent counties

Noxubee County (north)

Sumter County, Alabama (east)

Lauderdale County (south)

Neshoba County (west)

Winston County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,988. The median age was 40.4 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 31.4% White, 61.1% Black or African American, 5.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.3% from some other race, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 0.7% of the population.

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,385 households in the county, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.1% were married-couple households, 22.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,909 housing units, of which 13.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.5% were owner-occupied and 22.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 10,456 people living in the county. 60.1% were Black or African American, 35.3% White, 3.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% of some other race and 0.7% of two or more races. 0.5% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,453 people, 3,909 households, and 2,787 families living in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (5.4 people/km2). There were 4,533 housing units at an average density of 6 units per square mile (2.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 58.13% Black or African American, 39.03% White, 2.06% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,909 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.70% were married couples living together, 20.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 12.50% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,998, and the median income for a family was $30,248. Males had a median income of $24,431 versus $18,199 for females. The per capita income for the county was $11,985. About 21.20% of families and 26.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.30% of those under age 18 and 26.70% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There is one school district in the county: Kemper County School District.

Kemper County is within the service area of the East Mississippi Community College system. The main campus of EMCC, including the college system's administrative headquarters, is in the Scooba Campus in Scooba.

Government

The county is governed by a five-member elected Board of Supervisors, who are elected from single-member districts. The County Sheriff, Chancery Clerk, Circuit Clerk, and Tax Assessor are also elected to office.

Kemper County generally votes for candidates of the Democratic Party; the Republican presidential nominee has won it only four times in the past century.

Electric power plant

In 2010, the Mississippi Public Service Commission approved the construction of a lignite coal plant in Kemper County to be financed by electricity customers in twenty-three southeastern Mississippi counties being served by Mississippi Power Company. It is designed as a model project to use gasification and carbon-capture technologies at this scale.

The plant was strongly opposed by former Republican State Chairman Clarke Reed of Greenville, who favored a less-expensive natural gas-fueled plant. Reed called the project "... a horrible thing." He said it would be a political issue that could be used against Republicans for years.

The Kemper Project was scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2016, more than two years behind schedule. Its cost increased to $6.6 billion—three times original cost estimate. As of February 2017, the project was still not in service, and the cost had increased to $7.1 billion.

Communities

Towns

De Kalb (county seat)

Scooba

Census-designated places

Bogue Chitto (mostly in Neshoba County)

Porterville

Unincorporated communities

Cullum

Electric Mills

Giles

Moscow

Preston

Sucarnoochee

Tamola

Wahalak

Ghost town

Binnsville

Minden

Notable residents

Eddie Briggs, 28th Lt. Governor of Mississippi

Bud Brown, former pro football player, was born in DeKalb

Clay Hopper, professional baseball player

Sampson Jackson, served in the Mississippi State Senate, was born in Preston

Al Key, aviator, Mayor of Meridian, Mississippi (1965-1973)

Fred Key, aviator, broke aviation endurance record in 1935 with brother Al

John J. Pettus, 23rd Governor of Mississippi, previously represented Kemper County in the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi State Senate

Devonta Pollard, professional basketball player

J.H. Rush, who founded the first private hospital in Meridian

John C. Stennis, who served as United States Senator from 1947 to 1988, was born in Kemper County