Duffee, Mississippi Explained

Official Name:Duffee, Mississippi
Pushpin Map:Mississippi#USA
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Mississippi
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Newton
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:499
Coordinates:32.4894°N -88.9269°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:39337
Area Code:601
Blank Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank Info:669484

Duffee is an unincorporated community located in Newton County, Mississippi, United States. Duffee is approximately 6.3miles east-southeast of Little Rock south of Mississippi Highway 494.

History

Duffee, first known as Liberty and later as Rue, was established as a religious community of Baptists from the Liberty Church shortly after the American Civil War. It was a quiet community in its first thirty years, gaining some commerce when the Buckwalter Lumber Company of Union, Mississippi established a railroad through the village and, in 1906, was renamed from Rue to Duffee for a railroad surveyor. In 1915, a depot was constructed on the Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad which opened the following year. By 1916, the place had two churches, a school, and a mill. In 1918, it had a recorded population of 85. After the Great Depression, most of the inhabitants fled to find work elsewhere and the community suffered greatly in part. The community then saw a small resurgence in 1937 with the founding of the Columbus Planing Mill.[1]

The first post office established here was called Rue, which ran from 1902 to 1906. Another post office operated under the name Duffee from 1914 to 1959 and later, under the name Duffee Rural Station from 1959 to 1969.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Brieger, James F.. Hometown Mississippi. 1997. Town Square Books, Incorporated. 978-1-886017-05-4. en.
  2. Web site: Newton County . Jim Forte Postal History . 28 April 2020.