Pontotoc, Mississippi

Pontotoc, Mississippi
City
Pontotoc County courthouse.
Location of Pontotoc, Mississippi
Pontotoc, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 34°14′55″N 89°0′24″W / 34.24861°N 89.00667°W / 34.24861; -89.00667Coordinates: 34°14′55″N 89°0′24″W / 34.24861°N 89.00667°W / 34.24861; -89.00667
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Pontotoc
Area
• Total	9.6 sq mi (24.9 km2)
• Land	9.4 sq mi (24.5 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	495 ft (151 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	5,625
• Density	555.9/sq mi (214.6/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	38863
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-59160
GNIS feature ID	0691601

The Town Square Museum/Post Office located in downtown Pontotoc

Pontotoc (lower left) is west of Tupelo (via Highway 278) and south of New Albany

Pontotoc is a city in, and the county seat of, Pontotoc County, Mississippi, located to the west of the much larger city of Tupelo. The population was 5,625 at the 2010 census.^[1] Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word meaning "Land of Hanging Grapes".

The famous outlaws Jesse and Frank James and their gang once hid at an old house which was used as a Union Army hospital during the Battle of Harrisburg or Battle of Tupelo. The house was located at a crossroad in east Pontotoc County, near the Lee County line.

The Town Square Museum is located in the old US post office near the county courthouse. This historic building houses Pontotoc memorabilia, and continues to operate as a full-service post office. A mural in the museum's lobby titled The Wedding of Ortez and SaOwana - Christmas 1540 depicts the first recorded Christian marriage on the North American continent. It was said to have occurred between Juan Ortez and Princess Saowana, daughter of Chief Uceta, of the Florida Seminole tribe. The wedding is said to have taken place in Pontotoc County during a visit by explorer Hernando de Soto. The mural was painted by Joseph Pollet in 1939 under the arts program of the Works Progress Administration.

The Town Square has a festival every year during the last week of the month of September called the Bodock Festival, based on the Maclura pomifera tree next to the historical mansion, Lochinvar, that survived a massive tornado hit in 2001. The festival is held over the last weekend, including Friday, of September.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.6 sq mi (25 km²), of which 9.4 sq mi (24 km²) is land and 0.2 sq mi (0.52 km²) (1.66%) is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2010, 5,625 people, 2,325 households, and 2,129 families resided in the city. The population density was 555.9 people per square mile (214.6/km²). The 2,250 housing units averaged 238.1/sq mi (91.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.08% White, 20.42% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 7.39% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.76% of the population.

Of the 2,325 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were not families. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was distributed as 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,491, and for a family was $39,306. Males had a median income of $31,403 versus $23,491 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,324. About 12.0% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 23.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city of Pontotoc is served by the Pontotoc City School District and the county is served by the Pontotoc County School District . North Pontotoc High School and South Pontotoc High School are two of the top academic schools in the state of Mississippi. North received the Blue Ribbon Award and South received Level 5, the highest rating for a school in Mississippi. The city's band was the third best in the state in 2013

Notable people

Some notable residents of Pontotoc include:

• Terry "Harmonica" Bean, bluesman, is a lifelong resident of Pontotoc. Bean grew up around "downhome blues".^[5]
• Delaney Bramlett, singer, songwriter and musician, was born in Pontotoc.
• Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, Mississippi's United States Senators as of 2009, were both born in Pontotoc.
• Alfred Oscar Coffin, the first African-American man to earn a Ph.D. in biological sciences, was born in Pontotoc on May 14, 1861. He graduated from Fisk University and earned his Ph.D. in Ohio Wesleyan University, writing a dissertation on the Mississippian culture moundbuilders. He later served as a professor of Romance languages at Langston University. He was known as an author, teacher, agent, and traveler. He died in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1933, and is buried there.^[6]
• Borden Deal, novelist and short-story writer, is from Pontotoc.
• Ruby Elzy, a pioneer black opera singer, played the soprano role of Serena in George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and became a star on Broadway, as well as a prominent radio, concert and film personality. Elzy is buried in Pontotoc's City Cemetery.
• Kent Hull, Former NFL Buffalo Bills center, is from Pontotoc.
• Cowan F. "Bubba" Hyde, Negro League baseball player who played for the Birmingham Black Barons, was born in Pontotoc on April 10, 1908.^[7]
• Cordell Jackson, guitarist, was born in Pontotoc, and is thought to be the first woman to produce, engineer, arrange, and promote music on her own rock and roll music label.
• PFC James L. Leatherwood, of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion, murdered by the Germans at the Wereth 11 Massacre
• Max Palmer, professional wrestler, is from Pontotoc.
• Romie J. Palmer, Illinois jurist and legislator, was born in Pontotoc.
• Jim Weatherly, singer, songwriter and musician, writer of song "Midnight Train to Georgia," and star Ole Miss quarterback, is from Pontotoc.
• Elizabeth H. West, librarian and archivist, born in Pontotoc 1873.^[8]
• Steve Pegues, former major league professional baseball player, is also from Pontotoc.

See also

• Tupelo National Battlefield

References

Municipalities and communities of Pontotoc County, Mississippi, United States
County seat: Pontotoc
City	Pontotoc
Towns	Algoma Ecru Sherman‡ Thaxton Toccopola
Unincorporated Communities	Endville Esperanza Randolph Rough Edge Springville Troy
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties