Lawrence County, Mississippi

Lawrence County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Monticello
Year Organized: 1814
Square Miles: 431

Court House:

P.O. Box 1160
County Courthouse
Monticello, MS 39654-1160

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Lawrence is named for naval leader James Lawrence, famous for the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Lawrence County was one of the fourteen territorial counties represented in the constitutional convention of 1817, having been created December 22, 1814, from the older county of Marion. It originally embraced the eastern half of the present county of Lincoln. The original act defined its boundaries as follows:

"Beginning on the Franklin County line, where the middle section of the fifth township intersects the same; thence east along the said line to its intersection with the eastern boundary line of the county of Marion. And all that tract of country on the north side of said line, and within the original boundary of Marion County, shall form a county, known by the name of Lawrence."

By act of January 5, 1819, it contributed of its eastern area to form the county of Covington, and February 12th, of the same year, it surrendered to Marion County the northern half of township 5, ranges 17 and 18; in 1870, it contributed of its western area to form the county of Lincoln and in 1906, a part of its territory was detached in the formation of Jefferson Davis County.

The county was named in commemoration of James Lawrence, captain of the Chesapeake in the memorable battle with the British on Lake Erie. It is an old settled region in the south central part of the State, and its hardy and vigorous pioneers contributed largely to the early beginnings of Mississippi.

The little village of Monticello is situated on a high bluff on the western bank of the Pearl River, is the county seat; it was the home of Harmon Runnels, Hiram G., Harmon M. and Hardin D. Runnels, his sons. Harmon Runnels came to the State from Georgia, built the first house in Monticello and was a forceful representative in the constitutional convention of 1817. He reared a large family, which became influential in the annals of the State. Hiram G. Runnels, one of the sons, became Governor of the State in 1833.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,129 km²), of which, 431 square miles (1,115 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (13 km²) of it (1.17%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Simpson County (northeast)
Jefferson Davis County (east)
Marion County (southeast)
Walthall County (south)
Lincoln County (west)
Copiah County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Monticello (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- New Hebron	town	Incorporated Area
- Silver Creek	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

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