Macon, Mississippi Explained

Official Name:Macon, Mississippi
Settlement Type:City
Mapsize:250px
Pushpin Map:USA
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the United States
Coordinates:33.1125°N -88.5611°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Mississippi
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Noxubee
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:9.98
Area Total Sq Mi:3.85
Area Land Km2:9.92
Area Land Sq Mi:3.83
Area Water Km2:0.06
Area Water Sq Mi:0.02
Elevation M:60
Elevation Ft:197
Population Total:2582
Population As Of:2020
Population Density Km2:260.34
Population Density Sq Mi:674.33
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:39341
Area Code:662
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:28-44240
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0673046

Macon is a city in Noxubee County, Mississippi along the Noxubee River. The population was 2,768 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Noxubee County.[2]

History

In 1817, Jackson's Military Road was built at the urging of Andrew Jackson to provide a direct connection between Nashville and New Orleans. The road crossed the Noxubee River just west of Macon, located at the old Choctaw village of Taladega, now the site of the local golf club. The road declined in importance in the 1840s, largely due to the difficulty of travel in the swamps surrounding the Noxubee River in and west of Macon.

The route for the most part was replaced by the Robinson Road, which ran through Agency and Louisville before joining the Natchez Trace, bypassing Macon.[3]

On September 15, 1830, US government officials met with an audience of 6,000 Choctaw men, women and children at Dancing Rabbit Creek to explain the policy of removal through interpreters. The Choctaws faced migration west of the Mississippi River or submitting to U.S. and state law as citizens.[4]

The treaty would sign away the remaining traditional homeland to the United States; however, a provision in the treaty made removal more acceptable.[5]

The town was named Macon on August 10, 1835 in honor of Nathaniel Macon, a statesman from North Carolina.[6]

The city served as the capital for the state of Mississippi during the Civil War from 1863 onward.[7]

The legislature was housed in the Calhoun Institute, which also housed Governor Charles Clark's office and served as one of several hospital sites in Macon.[8]

In October 1865, Governor Benjamin Humphreys attempted to retrieve the furniture from the governor's mansion to Jackson, however it had been either destroyed or stolen.[9]

On June 27, 1919, in an incident described as part of the Red Summer, a mob of white citizens including a banker and a deputy sheriff, among many others, attacked prominent black citizens.[10] On May 20, 1927, Dan Anderson was lynched in Macon.[11]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5sqmi, all land.

Climate

Demographics

In 2016, Macon was the poorest town in the United States with a population between 1,000 and 25,000 people.[12]

2020 census

Macon, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition
!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)!Pop 2000[13] !Pop 2010[14] ![15] !% 20010!% 2010!
White alone (NH)770600style='background: #ffffe6; 38331.29%21.68%style='background: #ffffe6; 14.83%
Black or African American alone (NH)1,6542,131style='background: #ffffe6; 2,08867.21%76.99%style='background: #ffffe6; 80.87%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)53style='background: #ffffe6; 30.20%0.11%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.12%
Asian alone (NH)913style='background: #ffffe6; 00.37%0.47%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)00style='background: #ffffe6; 00.00%0.00%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)11style='background: #ffffe6; 30.04%0.04%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.12%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)127style='background: #ffffe6; 560.49%0.25%style='background: #ffffe6; 2.17%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)1013style='background: #ffffe6; 490.41%0.47%style='background: #ffffe6; 1.90%
Total2,4612,768style='background: #ffffe6; 2,582100.00%100.00%style='background: #ffffe6; 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 2,582 people, 1,110 households, and 724 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 2,461 people, 906 households, and 587 families residing in the city. The population density was 1624.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,015 housing units at an average density of 670.1sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 31.49% White, 67.33% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.

There were 906 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 27.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,800, and the median income for a family was $26,696. Males had a median income of $22,969 versus $16,898 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,568. About 29.2% of families and 36.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.3% of those under age 18 and 21.8% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The Noxubee County library is located in Macon. The building, which was constructed as a jail in 1907, still contains a gallows.[17]

Education

Historically, the city of Macon had the largest schools in Noxubee County, including Macon High School (Mississippi). In 1917, the city proposed consolidation of the school district with Noxubee County, with the goal of replacing the single-teacher system prevalent throughout the county.[18]

The City of Macon is now served by the Noxubee County School District. East Mississippi Community College offers some courses at Noxubee County High School in Macon.[19]

When federal courts mandated integration of the public schools, a segregation academy, Central Academy, was built in Macon, secretly using public school funds to construct the private school.[20] White student enrollment in public schools dropped from 829 to 71 during this period.[21] Attendance at Central Academy eventually dwindled to 51 students, resulting in the shuttering of the school following the 2017 school year.[22]

Media

The first newspaper in Macon was the Macon Intelligencer, which operated from 1838 to 1840. Another paper, the Macon Herald ran from 1841 to 1842.[23] The Macon Beacon was established in 1849.[24] It served Macon as a daily from 1859 to 1995.[25] It continues to operate as a weekly, published on Thursdays.[26] There is a local radio station, WPEZ 93.7 FM.

Notable people

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. July 24, 2022.
  2. Web site: Find a County. National Association of Counties. November 23, 2014.
  3. Love, William A., "General Jackson's Military Road," Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society Vol. XI (1910), pp. 403–17; accessed November 11, 2014.
  4. Book: Remini , Robert . Andrew Jackson . History Book Club . "Brothers, Listen ... You Must Submit" . 272 . .
  5. Web site: Choctaw Treaties. March 21, 2008. Green. Len. October 1978. Bishinik. https://web.archive.org/web/20071215033006/http://www.tc.umn.edu/~mboucher/mikebouchweb/choctaw/chotreat.htm. December 15, 2007.
  6. Web site: Formation of Noxubee County: Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. December 18, 2017.
  7. Web site: Mississippi. December 18, 2017.
  8. Web site: History of City of Macon & Noxubee County. December 22, 2017.
  9. Web site: Lohrenz. Mary. Governor's Mansion during the Civil War. Mississippi Department of Archives and History. December 22, 2017. November 17, 2010.
  10. Book: Dadabo. Elizabeth. Historical Moments of Policing, Violence, and Resistance Series Volume 6 Chicago's Red Summer of 1919.
  11. Web site: The Jim Crow Era: A Solemn Roll Call Of Those Brutally Murdered . April 20, 2021 . PoliticsNY.
  12. News: America's poorest city is in Illinois. Cole. Lauterbach. Illinois News Network. June 29, 2018.
  13. Web site: P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Macon city, Mississippi. United States Census Bureau.
  14. Web site: P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Macon city, Mississippi. United States Census Bureau.
  15. Web site: P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Macon city, Mississippi. United States Census Bureau.
  16. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2008-01-31.
  17. News: Benton . Charlie . Hanging onto history: Noxubee librarian discusses 1907 building's unusual feature . Starkville Daily News . October 31, 2019.
  18. News: Better School Opportunities for Macon and Surrounding Country. December 18, 2017. Macon Beacon. June 1, 1907.
  19. http://www.eastms.edu/academics/documents/EMCCCATALOGfor2007-2009.pdf CATALOG 2007–09, East Mississippi Community College
  20. News: Schools board member resigns before NAACP asks. 11. Clarksdale Press-Register. May 19, 1982.
  21. Web site: Swartz. David R. October 2004 Swartz. Goshen College. December 18, 2017. October 19, 2004.
  22. News: Lamphin. Eric. VIDEO: MACON'S CENTRAL ACADEMY CLOSING DOWN. December 18, 2017. WCBI. April 20, 2017.
  23. Web site: Results: Digitized Newspapers « Chronicling America « Library of Congress. chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
  24. Web site: History of City of Macon & Noxubee County. December 16, 2017.
  25. Web site: Macon beacon: (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995. 16 December 2017.
  26. Web site: Macon. December 18, 2017.
  27. Web site: ANDERSON, Chapman Levy . bioguide.congress.gov . 16 January 2024.
  28. News: Cleveland . Rick . From Macon to MIT: Larry Anderson's Amazing Story . 5 June 2019 . June 4, 2019.
  29. Web site: Perspectives 177: McArthur Binion Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. camh.org. 2024-01-16.
  30. Web site: Quincy Coleman Cards . tcdb.com . 16 January 2024.
  31. Web site: Fest Cotton Stats . pro-football-reference.com . 17 January 2024.
  32. Web site: Crespino Featured as One of Emory's "Fab Five" in 'Emory Magazine' . scholarblogs.emory.edu . 17 January 2024.
  33. Book: Rowland, Dunbar. Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. May 15, 1907. Southern Historical Publishing Association. 9780871522221 . 222 . Google Books.
  34. Web site: Reecy Dickson's Biography . justfacts.votesmart.org . 17 January 2024.
  35. Book: LLoyd. James B.. Lives of Mississippi Authors, 1817-1967. 1981. University Press of Mississippi. Oxford, Mississippi. 9781604734119. 320801688. 164.
  36. Book: Carter . William C. . Conversations with Shelby Foote . 1989 . University Press of Mississippi . Jackson, Mississippi . 0-87805-385-9 . 152 .
  37. Web site: 1972 Calgary Stampeders Roster . statscrew.com . 17 January 2024.
  38. Web site: Nate Hughes. NFL Enterprises. November 23, 2014.
  39. Web site: Wells . Sean Harrington . T. R. Hummer . Mississippi Encyclopedia . 17 January 2024.
  40. Web site: Chris Jones Gallery . tcdb.com . 17 January 2024.
  41. Lorenzo Houston King . The Journal of Negro History . April 1947 . 32 . 2 . 261 . 10.1086/JNHv32n2p261 .
  42. Web site: National Register of Historic Places Registration Form . npgallery.nps.gov . 17 January 2024.
  43. Web site: LEWIS, Clarke . bioguide.congress.gov . 16 January 2024.
  44. News: 1970-03-29 . Obituary for William Brooks Lucas . 4 . Clarion-Ledger . 2024-01-16.
  45. Web site: Ankeny . Jason . Brother Joe May . allmusic.com . 17 January 2024.
  46. Web site: Andrew P. Mullins Jr. Collection . libraries.olemiss.edu . 17 January 2024.
  47. Mississippi. Legislature. 1964-01-01. Hand book : biographical data of members of Senate and House, personnel of standing committees [1964]]. Mississippi Legislature Hand Books.
  48. Book: Rowland, Dunbar. The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. 1917. Department of Archives and History . 776 . en.
  49. Web site: Former NBA player and Hattiesburg High graduate passes away . 2016-03-18 . 2016-03-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160318213530/http://whlt.com/2016/03/18/former-nba-player-and-hattiesburg-high-graduate-passes-away/ . dead .
  50. Web site: Jeffery Simmons . tennesseetitans.com . 17 January 2024.
  51. Web site: Isham Stewart (Noxubee County) . much-ado.net . 17 January 2024.
  52. Web site: Publications of the Mississippi Historical Society. Mississippi Historical. Society (Founded 1890). May 4, 1898. The Society. Google Books.
  53. Web site: Sherman W. White, Jr. . cafriseabove.org . 17 January 2024.
  54. Web site: Big Joe Williams . msbluestrail.org . 16 January 2024.
  55. Web site: The Death of Henry Williams . June 10, 2013 . Michelle . Newman . Hannah . Adams . Civil Rights & Restorative Justice . . June 23, 2021.

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