Smith County, Mississippi

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

County Seat: Raleigh
Year Organized: 1833
Square Miles: 636

Court House:

P.O. Box 160
County Courthouse
Raleigh, MS 39153-0160

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Smith is named in honor of Major David Smith of Hinds County, was born in 1753 in Anson County, NC. Smith served as a private in the battles of King's Mountain, Cowpens, and Euthaw Springs, becoming a hero of the Revolutionary War. He first married in 1776 to Sarah Terry, and later, in 1791 married Obedience Fort. He moved with his family to Mississippi, settling in Hinds County not long after that region was yielded by the Choctaws. His son, Benjamin F. Smith, served as the first representative for Hinds County in the Mississippi Legislature. Major Smith died at Jackson, Mississippi in 1834.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Smith County was the southwestern corner of the large tract of land ceded to the United States by the Choctaw treaty of Dancing Rabbit in 1830. It was established December 23, 1833, and was named in honor of Major David Smith of Hinds County. Aurelia Smith, his daughter, married Governor Runnels. Its limits were defined as follows by the act which created the county:

“Beginning on the line between ranges 9 and 10 east, at the point at which the line between townships 4 and 5 crosses said line, and from thence south with the said line between ranges 9 and 10 east, to the southern boundary of the Choctaw nation; from thence west, with said southern boundary line, to the western boundary line of said Choctaw nation; from thence north with said western boundary line, to the point at which the line between townships 2 and 3 strikes said western boundary line; from thence west to the line between ranges 5 and 6 east; from thence north with said line between ranges 5 and 6 east, to the line between townships 4 and 5; and from thence to the place of beginning.”

A large influx of settlers from the older parts of the State came to the new county at an early date, and by 1837 there were 1,085 free whites, owning some three hundred slaves.

The original county seat was located at Fairchild, about four miles south of Raleigh, but was soon abandoned. The new county seat was then established and called for Sir Walter Raleigh. There has been four courthouses in Raleigh due to fires. After the first courthouse burned, the Old Floyd Hotel was put to use as a courthouse, only to see the same thing happen to it in 1892. This resulted in the loss of all of the records for Smith County. A new building was erected and again was destroyed by fire in 1912, destroying practically all of the records. The present courthouse was built in 1912.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 637 square miles (1,651 km²), of which, 636 square miles (1,647 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Scott County (north)
Jasper County (east)
Jones County (southeast)
Covington County (south)
Scott County (west)
Rankin County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Mize	town	Incorporated Area
- Polkville	village	Incorporated Area
- Raleigh (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- Sylvarena	village	Incorporated Area
- Taylorsville	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."