Franklin County
County
Franklin County Courthouse, Meadville, Mississippi.
Franklin County Courthouse, Meadville, Mississippi.
Map of Mississippi highlighting Franklin County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°29′N 90°54′W / 31.48°N 90.9°W / 31.48; -90.9
Country United States
State Mississippi
Founded1809
Named forBenjamin Franklin
SeatMeadville
Largest townBude
Area
 • Total567 sq mi (1,470 km2)
 • Land564 sq mi (1,460 km2)
 • Water3.0 sq mi (8 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total7,675
 • Density14/sq mi (5.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websitewww.franklincountyms.com

Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,675.[1] Its county seat is Meadville.[2] The county was formed on December 21, 1809, from portions of Adams County and named for Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.[3] It is bisected by the Homochitto River, which runs diagonally through the county from northeast to southwest.

History

This was the fourth county organized in Mississippi. It was initially developed for agriculture, specifically cotton plantations based on enslaved labor of African Americans. Cotton continued to be important to the economy through the 19th century and into the early 20th century.

This still rural county has had a decline in population by about half since 1910. It is the fourth least populous county in the state. Mechanization of agriculture and the blight of the boll weevil both reduced the need for farm workers; they left the area and often the state. Many African Americans went north or west in the Great Migration before and after World War II. The county in the 21st century is majority white in population; in the 2000 census, African Americans composed more than 36% of the population. (See Demographics section below.)

As in the rest of the state, the county had racially segregated facilities under Jim Crow from the late 19th century. Many white residents opposed the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century. In May 1964, Ku Klux Klan members abducted and killed two young black men, Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore of Meadville, before Freedom Summer started. Their bodies were not discovered in the Mississippi River until July 1964, during the hunt for three disappeared civil rights workers.

No one was prosecuted at the time, but the case was reopened in 2007, after a documentary had been released on it by Canadian Broadcasting Company. Local man James Ford Seale was convicted of the kidnappings and deaths by an all-white jury in federal court.[4] In 2008 the families of Dee and Moore filed a civil suit against the Franklin County government, charging complicity by its law enforcement in the deaths. On June 21, 2010, Franklin County agreed to an undisclosed settlement in the civil suit with the families of Charles Moore and Henry Dee.[5][6][7][8]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 567 square miles (1,470 km2), of which 564 square miles (1,460 km2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.5%) is water.[9]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Communities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18102,016—
18203,82189.5%
18304,62221.0%
18404,7753.3%
18505,90423.6%
18608,26540.0%
18707,498−9.3%
18809,72929.8%
189010,4247.1%
190013,67831.2%
191015,19311.1%
192014,156−6.8%
193012,268−13.3%
194012,5041.9%
195010,929−12.6%
19609,286−15.0%
19708,011−13.7%
19808,2082.5%
19908,3772.1%
20008,4480.8%
20108,118−3.9%
20207,675−5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2013[14]
Franklin County racial composition as of 2020[15]
Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 4,910 63.97%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 2,563 33.39%
Native American 2 0.03%
Asian 8 0.1%
Other/Mixed 132 1.72%
Hispanic or Latino 60 0.78%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,675 people, 2,928 households, and 2,096 families residing in the county.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Franklin County, Mississippi[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 2,923 65.52% 1,480 33.18% 58 1.30%
2016 2,721 63.43% 1,502 35.01% 67 1.56%
2012 2,735 60.87% 1,726 38.42% 32 0.71%
2008 2,909 62.09% 1,733 36.99% 43 0.92%
2004 2,893 64.42% 1,574 35.05% 24 0.53%
2000 2,427 61.40% 1,486 37.59% 40 1.01%
1996 1,586 47.50% 1,381 41.36% 372 11.14%
1992 1,942 49.31% 1,587 40.30% 409 10.39%
1988 2,376 59.97% 1,563 39.45% 23 0.58%
1984 2,564 62.86% 1,494 36.63% 21 0.51%
1980 2,026 49.31% 2,040 49.65% 43 1.05%
1976 1,719 50.63% 1,578 46.48% 98 2.89%
1972 2,361 78.73% 561 18.71% 77 2.57%
1968 231 6.71% 782 22.72% 2,429 70.57%
1964 2,211 96.05% 91 3.95% 0 0.00%
1960 124 7.38% 441 26.25% 1,115 66.37%
1956 177 11.46% 862 55.83% 505 32.71%
1952 514 30.60% 1,166 69.40% 0 0.00%
1948 12 0.98% 55 4.48% 1,160 94.54%
1944 49 3.89% 1,211 96.11% 0 0.00%
1940 29 2.06% 1,376 97.94% 0 0.00%
1936 33 2.91% 1,098 96.83% 3 0.26%
1932 25 2.53% 965 97.47% 0 0.00%
1928 181 16.67% 905 83.33% 0 0.00%
1924 36 5.74% 591 94.26% 0 0.00%
1920 203 23.97% 641 75.68% 3 0.35%
1916 22 2.76% 769 96.49% 6 0.75%
1912 4 1.10% 301 82.69% 59 16.21%

In the 1964 Presidential election Barry Goldwater reportedly received 96.05% of the county's vote.[17] Although the white-majority county has supported Southern Democrats such as Jimmy Carter for the presidency, since 2000 the Republican candidate has consistently received over 60% of the vote.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Franklin County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 131.
  4. ↑ "Ex-KKK man guilty in 1964 killing". BBC.com. June 15, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Families sue Franklin over Klan slayings". Clarion Ledger. August 7, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Dee, Moore families files suit against Franklin County, Miss., in 1964 murders". Concordia Sentinel. August 11, 2008. Archived from the original on August 16, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  7. ↑ Walker, Adrian (August 8, 2008). "A righteous quest". The Boston Globe.com. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Miss. Officials Agree To Settlement In '64 Slayings". NPR. June 21, 2010.
  9. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  13. ↑ "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 3, 2014.
  14. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  16. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  17. ↑ David Leip's Presidential Election Atlas - 1964 statistics
  18. ↑ The New York Times Electoral Map (Zoom in on Mississippi)

31°29′N 90°54′W / 31.48°N 90.90°W / 31.48; -90.90

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