Sumner, Mississippi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sumner is a town in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 407 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Sumner is located at 33°58′12″N, 90°22′11″W (33.969867, -90.369636)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²), all land.

[edit] History

The heavily wooded swamp that became Sumner was part of the Choctaw Nation before being settled by many families, including the Sumners. Sumner was covered by trees, vines, and underbrush in its infancy when the men of the community began clearing the land. Sumner was incorporated in 1900 and was named after its founder and first mayor, Joseph Burton Sumner. In 1902 the county was divided into two districts, with Sumner as the county seat of the west district (Charleston being the county seat of the east district).

The Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner has historical significance of its own. The courthouse was built in 1902 on a lot donated by Sumner, who also donated the lot for the jail. The courthouse burned in 1908, but was rebuilt in 1909. Sumner's courthouse was the site of the 1955 murder trial of Emmett Till. In 1990, the courthouse was designated as a state landmark by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 407 people, 148 households, and 105 families residing in the town. The population density was 280.6/km² (726.5/mi²). There were 158 housing units at an average density of 108.9/km² (282.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 57.99% White, 39.07% African American, 2.21% Asian, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.

There were 148 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $35,208. Males had a median income of $40,625 versus $15,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,056. About 25.2% of families and 37.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.9% of those under age 18 and 29.7% of those age 65 or over.