Fayette, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Location of Fayette, Mississippi | |
  Fayette, Mississippi Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 31°42′40″N 91°3′44″W / 31.71111°N 91.06222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Jefferson |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Alderman |
| • Mayor | Londell Eanochs |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.18 sq mi (3.04 km2) |
| • Land | 1.18 sq mi (3.04 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 282 ft (86 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,445 |
| • Density | 1,228.74/sq mi (474.56/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 39069, 39081 |
| Area code | 601 |
| FIPS code | 28-24500 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0669927 |
| Website | Town of Fayette |
Fayette is a city in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,614 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County.[2]
History
In 1879, the Jesse James gang, based in Missouri, raided southwest Mississippi, robbing a store each in Washington and Fayette. The outlaws absconded with $2,000 cash in the second robbery and took shelter in abandoned cabins on the Kemp Plantation south of St. Joseph, Louisiana. A posse attacked and killed two of the outlaws but failed to capture the entire gang.[3] Jesse James and most of his gang succeeded in returning to Missouri. He was killed three years later in 1882 at his home in St. Joseph, Missouri.
In 1890, the white Democrat-controlled Mississippi legislature passed a new constitution, which effectively disenfranchised most black people in the state,[4] crippling their integration into society and the Republican Party of the time.
After Congressional passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, black people began to register and vote again. Charles Evers was elected as mayor in 1969 by the people of Fayette; he was the first African-American mayor elected in post-Reconstruction Mississippi.[5] He beat the white incumbent R.G. Allen, 386 votes –225 votes. Evers was an activist and the brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, head of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP when he was assassinated in 1963.[6]
Geography
Fayette is located at 31°42′40″N 91°3′44″W / 31.71111°N 91.06222°W (31.711144, -91.062246).[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), all land.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 210 | — | |
| 1860 | 339 | 61.4% | |
| 1870 | 120 | −64.6% | |
| 1880 | 369 | 207.5% | |
| 1900 | 604 | — | |
| 1910 | 775 | 28.3% | |
| 1920 | 840 | 8.4% | |
| 1930 | 848 | 1.0% | |
| 1940 | 907 | 7.0% | |
| 1950 | 1,498 | 65.2% | |
| 1960 | 1,626 | 8.5% | |
| 1970 | 1,725 | 6.1% | |
| 1980 | 2,033 | 17.9% | |
| 1990 | 1,853 | −8.9% | |
| 2000 | 2,242 | 21.0% | |
| 2010 | 1,614 | −28.0% | |
| 2020 | 1,445 | −10.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 0 | 0.00% |
| Black or African American | 1,434 | 99.23% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.42% |
| Asian | 5 | 0.35% |
| Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.00% |
| Other/Mixed | 0 | 0.00% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0 | 0.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,445 people, 510 households, and 291 families residing in the city.
Education
The city of Fayette is served by the Jefferson County School District.
Notable people
- Albert Clark, Negro league outfielder[10]
- Charles Evers - first post-Reconstruction African-American mayor in Mississippi
- Thomas M. Green Jr., member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1802 to 1803. Built Springfield Plantation in Fayette.[11]
- Dudley Guice Jr., former National Football League wide receiver[12]
- Alvin Hall, former defensive back for the Los Angeles Rams[13]
- Richard H. Truly - Eighth NASA administrator
- Thomas M. Wade - Louisiana politician and educator, was born in 1860 at Point Prospect Plantation near Fayette.[14]
References
- ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "Jefferson B. Snyder". New Orleans Times-Picayune, April 15, 1938. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ↑ "November 1, 1890: Mississippi Constitution". Zinn Education Project. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ↑ "Evers, Charles – MS Civil Rights Project". Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ↑ Associated Press (May 14, 1969). "Race Won By Evers". Waycross Journal-Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ↑ "Albert Clark Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ↑ "Springfield Plantation, Fayette, Mississippi". Historic Structures. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ↑ "Dudley Guice Jr". ESPN. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ↑ "Alvin Hall Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ↑ "Thomas M. Wade". records.ancestry.com. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
External links
Municipalities and communities of Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  Map of Mississippi highlighting Jefferson County | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||