Lexington, Mississippi

Lexington, Mississippi
City

St. Mary's Episcopal Church
Nickname(s): L-Town

Location of Lexington, Mississippi
Lexington, Mississippi

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 33°6′52″N 90°3′4″W / 33.11444°N 90.05111°W / 33.11444; -90.05111Coordinates: 33°6′52″N 90°3′4″W / 33.11444°N 90.05111°W / 33.11444; -90.05111
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Holmes
Government
 • Mayor Clint Cobbins
Area
 • Total 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2)
 • Land 2.5 sq mi (6.4 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 233 ft (71 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 2,025
 • Density 825.6/sq mi (318.8/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 39095
Area code(s) 662
FIPS code 28-40600
GNIS feature ID 0672434

Lexington is a city in and the county seat of Holmes County, Mississippi.

The population was 2,025 at the 2000 census.[1]

History

Incorporated in 1836, the city of Lexington was founded by European-American settlers after the Choctaw people were forced to cede their land to the United States and remove to the Indian Territory. The new settlers initially developed riverfront land along the Yazoo River for cotton plantations, primarily worked by African Americans, most of whom were brought from the Upper South in the domestic slave trade. It transported more than one million African Americans to the South, breaking up many families. The slaves soon constituted the majority of the county population.

On court days, the town served as a trading center for the county and attracted retail merchants who set up shop in the town. Lexington was a destination in the 1830s of some German-Jewish immigrants, who often became merchants. They were joined later in the century by Russian Jewish immigrants. The community built Temple Beth El in Lexington in 1905; it closed in 2009 because of declining population.[2] During the plantation era, the city was bustling, as planters did well with a booming demand for cotton in the North and Europe.

Among the early settlers in the 1830s was German Jewish immigrant Jacob Sontheimer who first worked caring for an elderly planter. After being bequeathed land, Sontheimer later became a merchant in town. His two daughters, Rose and Bettie, also became merchants, managing the Sontheimer business. He was joined by other Jewish immigrants from Germany, totaling about 20 by the late 1870s and 50 by 1900. In the later years Jewish immigrants also came from eastern Europe to Lexington. They developed tailoring and grocery businesses; the Lewis Grocery Store developed into a major wholesaler in the state.[2][3]

After the Civil War, freedmen in Holmes County, who constituted the majority of the population, joined the Republican Party and elected several county sheriffs and other local officers. They sought education and some became landowners, clearing land in the bottomlands and selling their timber to raise money for purchase. This progress was before 1890, when they were essentially deprived of the vote by the state legislature passing a new constitution, which created barriers to voter registration and forced them out of politics for decades into the late 20th century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, financial recession and lack of political clout meant that many lost their land, returning to the status of sharecropper and tenant farmer.

Edmund F. Noel, an attorney in Lexington who was son of planters Leland and Margaret Noel, was elected as state legislator and later as District Attorney. In 1907 he was elected as governor of Mississippi, serving through 1912. His house at North Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its distinctive architecture, as the Gov. Edmond F. Noel House.

In the early 20th century, Mississippi planters recruited Chinese immigrant workers to satisfy the demand for labor, and some came to Holmes County. As the area suffered from the boll weevil infestation, the cotton crops suffered. Mechanization reduced the need for farm labor, leading to a decline in county and town populations from the 1930s on.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lexington has a humid subtropical climate, in common with the vast majority of the American South.[4]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1850656—
186088735.2%
1870744−16.1%
18807987.3%
18901,07534.7%
19001,51641.0%
19102,42860.2%
19201,792−26.2%
19302,59044.5%
19402,93013.1%
19503,1989.1%
19602,839−11.2%
19702,756−2.9%
19802,628−4.6%
19902,227−15.3%
20002,025−9.1%
20101,731−14.5%
Est. 20141,622[5]−6.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 2,025 people, 725 households, and 503 families residing in the city. The population density was 825.6 people per square mile (319.1/km²). There were 802 housing units at an average density of 327.0 per square mile (126.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 31.36% White, 67.26% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.64% Asian, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.98% of the population.

There were 725 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 26.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,163, and the median income for a family was $29,732. Males had a median income of $25,750 versus $17,328 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,614. About 32.7% of families and 37.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.5% of those under age 18 and 28.4% of those age 65 or over.

As of the 2010 Census, the racial composition of the city was:

Education

The city of Lexington is served by the Holmes County School District. William Dean Jr. Elementary School, and Holmes County Central High School are located here.

A private school, Central Holmes Christian School (formerly Central Holmes Academy), is also located in the city.[8]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  2. 1 2 "A Final Yom Kippur in the Delta for Mississippi Community Begun in 1830s", The Jewish Daily Forward
  3. ↑ "History of Lexington's Jewish community", Institute of Southern Jewish Life
  4. ↑ Climate Summary for Lexington, Mississippi
  5. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  8. ↑ "Contact Us." Central Holmes Christian School. Retrieved on March 23, 2013. "130 Robert E. Lee Street Lexington, MS 39095"
  9. ↑ "The Origin of Rose Medical Center, Denver, Colorado", Colorado Health Care History
  10. ↑ Claire Martin, "Activist Led the Way to School Integration"], Denver Post, 5 February 2008
  11. ↑ Bill Minor, "Strange true story about Eddie Noel", DeSoto Times, 11 August 2010, accessed 25 November 2015
  12. ↑ Allie Povall, The Time of Eddie Noel, Comfort Publishing, 2010

External links

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