Wayne County, Mississippi

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

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Wayne is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745–December 15, 1796) was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of "Mad Anthony".

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Wayne County received its name in honor of the Revolutionary hero, General Anthony Wayne, as did its county seat, Waynesboro. It was created by act of the General Assembly of Mississippi territory, December 21, 1809, and embraced the western, or Mississippi portion, of the old county of Washington, established in 1800 by proclamation of Governor Sargent and perpetuated in the present county of that name in Alabama. The act of 1809 which created Wayne County recites that Washington shall be divided as follows:

“beginning on the line of demarcation, where the trading road leading from the Choctaw nation to Mobile crosses the same, thence along said trading road to the present Choctaw boundary line, thence along said boundary line to Pearl River, thence down the same to the line of demarcation, and with the same to the place of beginning, all to be called the county of Wayne”;

Out of this vast region have been subsequently carved the counties of Greene, Covington, Jones, Perry, Lamar, and those portions of Lawrence and Marion lying east of the Pearl River. Finally, the act of December 23, 1833, which divided the Choctaw cession of 1830 into counties, declared that

“all the territory south of Clarke County, known as the Higoowanne reserve, be, and the same is attached to, and shall constitute a part of Wayne County.”

The Creek Indians, during the War of 1812, were a constant source of menace to the early settlers of Wayne, which fact led to the erection of Patton’s Fort at Winchester, and Roger’s Fort, about seven miles north of that place. The old ditches of Patton’s Fort may still be readily traced. The old town of Winchester has quite disappeared, the last of its structures to crumble being the court house built in 1822. The name survives in the town of the same name on the Mobile & Ohio railroad near the old site. It is said that the lack of adequate hotel accommodations during the terms of court, led to the removal of the county seat to Waynesboro a few miles to the north of the railway. It is an interesting fact that in these earliest settlements on Buckatunna Creek and at Winchester, and in the first school established about 1812, the Gaelic language was exclusively spoken and remained the vernacular until the early ‘20s, when the influx of English speaking settlers caused its disuse.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 814 square miles (2,107 km²), of which, 810 square miles (2,099 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (8 km²) of it (0.39%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

• Clarke County (north)
• Choctaw County, Alabama (northeast)
• Washington County, Alabama (southeast)
• Greene County (south)
• Perry County (southwest)
• Jones County (west)
• Jasper County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

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