Jasper County, Mississippi

History

Developed during the period of Indian Removal from the Southeast and increasing settlement by European Americans in the region, Jasper County was formed in 1833 from the middle section of what was previously a much larger Jones County. It was named for Sgt. William Jasper who distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie in 1776 during the American Revolutionary War. When a shell from a British warship shot away the flagstaff, he recovered the flag, raised it on a temporary staff, and held it under fire until a new staff was installed. Sgt. Jasper was killed in the Siege of Savannah in 1779.

During the antebellum years, cotton was cultivated with slave labor on large plantations in the county. This was the heyday of the county seat of Paulding, Mississippi, called the "Queen City of the East." It was a trading center for the plantations, as well as for yeomen farmers in the area. While some African Americans left the county in the early 20th century during the Great Migration out of the rural South to northern cities, in 2010 Jasper County had a population that was 52.6 percent African American, reflecting its history of cotton development and of people's ties to generations in this land.

In the late nineteenth century, when local people declined to invest in railroad construction at Paulding, developers shifted the route to the west, stimulating growth at Bay Springs, where a sawmill had been built in 1880. About 1900 that community was incorporated as a city. In 1906 the state legislature designated Bay Springs as the second county seat. It attracted major timber companies, such as Georgia Pacific, and other industries.

It was not until 1935–1936, during the Great Depression under a WPA project, that the first east–west road was built across the county, connecting the city of Bay Springs in the west with Rose Hill, north of the community of Paulding, in the east.

Medical facilities have been built at Bay Springs, with the Jasper General Hospital operating since 1962. Jasper General Patient Rehab was constructed on the hospital grounds in 2012 to supplement the offerings.

Recreation in the county includes a 9-hole golf course at the Bay Springs Country Club. Fishing and hunting are available, including around Lake Claude Bennett near Rose Hill.

In the 21st century, the county is still largely rural, leading the state in timber, cattle, and poultry production. It is the state's major producer of gas and oil, with resources concentrated near the community of Heidelberg.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 677 sqmi, of which 676 sqmi is land and 1.2 sqmi (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-59.svg|20px]] Interstate 59
• [[Image:US 11.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 11
• [[Image:Circle sign 15.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 15
• [[Image:Circle sign 18.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 18
• [[Image:Circle sign 503.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 503
• [[Image:Circle sign 513.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 513
• [[Image:Circle sign 528.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 528
• [[Image:Circle sign 531.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 531
• [[Image:Circle sign 533.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 533

Adjacent counties

• Newton County (north)
• Clarke County (east)
• Wayne County (southeast)
• Jones County (south)
• Smith County (west)

National protected area

• Bienville National Forest (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,367. The median age was 43.0 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.4 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 6,725 households in the county, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.5% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,029 housing units, of which 16.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.3% were owner-occupied and 17.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.3%.

Education

There are two school districts:

• East Jasper School District
• West Jasper School District

The county is in the zone for Jones College.

Communities

City

• Bay Springs (county seat)

Towns

• Heidelberg
• Louin
• Montrose

Unincorporated communities

• Garlandville
• Lake Como
• Moss
• Paulding
• Rose Hill
• Stafford Springs
• Stringer
• Vernon
• Vossburg

Ghost town

• Success

In popular culture

The Veteran's Story is a book written by Ada Christine Lightsey. The subject of the book is American Civil War veteran Ransom Lightsey and Company F ("Jasper Grays"), 16th Mississippi Infantry Regiment.

Politics

Jasper County was originally almost unanimously Democratic, and it has been a Democratic-leaning swing county ever since the Civil Rights movement. From 1984 through 2000, the county was a bellwether, predicting the presidential election winner, but it lost that status in 2004 when it voted for Democrat John Kerry over incumbent Republican George W. Bush. After that it was loyal to Democrats especially through the Obama era. After this the Democratic margin began narrowing and in 2024 Donald Trump flipped the county with the highest Republican percentage since 1984.

References

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Jasper County, Mississippi". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
4. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Explore Census Data".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
14. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jasper County, MS". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
15. "Profile". [[Jones College (Mississippi).
16. Lightsey, Ada Christine. (1899). "The Veteran's Story". The Meridian News.
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".