| Official Name: | Van Buren, Mississippi |
| Pushpin Map: | Mississippi#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Van Buren |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Mississippi |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Itawamba |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 80 |
| Elevation Ft: | 262 |
| Coordinates: | 34.1917°N -88.4114°W |
| Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank Info: | 679181 |
Van Buren is a ghost town located in Itawamba County, Mississippi.
Once a busy port on the Tombigbee River, Van Buren is today a rural farm community.
Van Buren was located on a high bluff on the river's west bank.[1] It was named for Martin Van Buren. North of Van Buren was Frog Level Swamp.[2]
Before Fulton was made the county seat in 1837, private homes and stores were used to conduct government business, including the store house of Elisha Thomas at Van Buren.[3] [4]
Winfield Walker, a nephew of Winfield Scott, settled in Van Buren in 1838, and became a merchant.[1]
By 1840, Van Buren was the largest town in Itawamba County, and had a busy river port.[4] The populations of both Fulton and Van Buren grew with settlers through the 1840s, and both had blacksmith shops, doctor's offices, stores, and lawyer's offices.[3] A post office operated under the name Van Buren from 1839 to 1867.[5]
The completion of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad west of Van Buren in the late 1850s caused river traffic to diminish;[4] the railway "ruined it and the old site is now under cultivation".[1]