Union County, Mississippi

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

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Union is named for the Union which was threatened by the American Civil War.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Union County, which was established July 7, 1870, during the reconstruction era, was named so because of the union of Pontotoc and Tippiah Counties. It is situated in the northeastern part of the state between the counties of Tippiah and Pontotoc, from which it was originally organized. In 1874 part of Lee County was annexed to it, thus making its present land area of 412 square miles.
Hernando DeSoto supposedly crossed the Tallahatchie River at the present site of New Albany on his first expedition.

A little north of New Albany, the present county seat, was the old Indian trading post of Alberson, called for the first citizen and trader at the place. Booker Foster and Moses Collins were merchants there in the early days, as were John N. Wiley, and Powers and Morgan, who manufactured wheat fans here from 1839 to 1844. Moses Collins built a good grist mill and sawmill in 1840 on the present site of New Albany, and the business of the older settlement soon moved to that place. Not even a trace of the old village is left. New Albany is on what is known as the "Pontotoc Ridge," the highest land in the state and has a rich farming country all about it. Wallerville, Blue Springs and Myrtle are other villages in the county. The streams are the Tallahatchie River, which runs through the center of the county, and its tributary creeks the Oconitahatchie, Wilhite, Locks, Lappatubba, and Jones; the head streams of the West Fork of the Tombigbee River take their rise in the eastern part of the county.

 In the year 1857 Moses Parker was conducting a school at the old town of Myrtle, two miles south of the present town of Myrtle, on the line of the Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham railroad, (St. Louis & San Francisco System). From an incident of the time, the place was first known as “Candy Hill,” but after the War, when a postoffice was established here, it took the name of Myrtle. Hill and Murray, and W.C. and B.F. Whittington were merchants in old Myrtle, and it had an excellent school conducted by Chosen Myers. The advent of the railroad two miles away caused the removal of the postoffice and business of the old town to the new station of the same name on the railroad. The postoffice and little store on the old site are now known as “Avanelle.”

The first courthouse was a large, frame building, at the west end of Cotton Street. In 1872 a new, two-story brick courthouse was built on the present courthouse block. The courthouse was destroyed by fire on October 28, 1881. Lost in the fire were all the county records accumulated since 1870, School Commisser Minutes 1846-59 are availible. A new courhouse was built in 1882 but was found inadequate for the needs of the county offices so it was demolished and the cornerstone for a new building was laid September 5, 1908. The present courthouse was completed June 2, 1909.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 417 square miles (1,080 km²), of which, 415 square miles (1,076 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.35%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

• Benton County & Tippah County (north)
• Prentiss County (east)
• Lee County (southeast)
• Pontotoc County (south)
• Lafayette County (southwest)
• Marshall County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

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