Drew, Mississippi

Drew, Mississippi
City
The Drew Town Square
Location of Drew, Mississippi
Coordinates: 33°48′36″N 90°31′50″W / 33.81000°N 90.53056°W / 33.81000; -90.53056Coordinates: 33°48′36″N 90°31′50″W / 33.81000°N 90.53056°W / 33.81000; -90.53056
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Sunflower
Area
• Total	1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)
• Land	1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	135 ft (41 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,434
• Density	2,172.6/sq mi (838.8/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	38737-38738
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-20020
GNIS feature ID	0669383

Drew is a city in Sunflower County, Mississippi. The population was 2,434 at the 2000 census. Drew is in the vicinity of several plantations and the Mississippi State Penitentiary, a Mississippi Department of Corrections prison for men.

History

Drew, Mississippi

Drew is named for a railroad employee.^[1]

Todd J. Moye, author of Let the People Decide: Black Freedom and White Resistance Movements in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1945-1986, said that the white residents of Drew "traditionally been regarded as the most recalcitrant in the count on racial matters."^[2] Moye explained that Whites in Drew were "considered the most recalcitrant of Sunflower County, and perhaps the state."^[3]

In the 1920s a man named Joe Pullen was lynched near Drew after killing 13 members of his lynch mob and injuring 26 of them.^[3]

Since Drew is in close proximity to the Mississippi State Penitentiary (also known as Parchman) Moye said that historically Drew was "a dangerous place to be black."^[3] In the 1930s and 1940s many police officers shot blacks, saying that they appeared like escaped prisoners from Parchman.^[3]

During the 20th Century African-American Civil Rights Movement, when attempts were made to move Fannie Lou Hamer's movement for poor people in Ruleville to Drew, the organizers, according to Moye, "faced stiff resistance."^[2] Mae Bertha Carter, a major figure in the area civil rights movement, originated from Drew.^[2]

Geography

Drew is located at 33°48′36″N 90°31′50″W / 33.81000°N 90.53056°W / 33.81000; -90.53056 (33.809923, -90.530530)^[4]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all land. Because of its small size, Billy Turner of The Times-Picayune said "[y]ou can travel all over town in a few minutes."^[5] Drew is in the vicinity of several plantations and the Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman), a Mississippi Department of Corrections prison for men.^[6]

Drew, in northern Sunflower County,^[7] is located on U.S. Route 49W, on the route between Jackson and Clarksdale.^[8] Drew is 8 miles (13 km) south of the Mississippi State Penitentiary,^[9] and it is north of Ruleville.^[2] Cleveland, Mississippi is 12 miles (19 km) from Drew. Drew is north of Yazoo City.^[5]

Many houses in Drew are government-owned. Some houses sold for $6,000 to $8,000 in the year until Saturday January 26, 2008. Some Drew residents said in 2008 that some houses, if put on the market, would sell for over $120,000.^[5]

Demographics

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 2,434 people, 811 households, and 606 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,172.6 people per square mile (839.1/km²). There were 922 housing units at an average density of 823.0 per square mile (317.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 25.27% White, 73.58% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population.

There were 811 households out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 35.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.51.

In the city the population was spread out with 36.6% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,167, and the median income for a family was $20,469. Males had a median income of $22,351 versus $18,693 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,569. About 36.1% of families and 40.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.6% of those under age 18 and 23.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

Drew includes some large brick buildings that serve as public housing.^[5]

The United States Postal Service operates the Drew Post Office.^[11]

Economy

At one time, Drew was the locality in the United States that had the most cotton gins. In 2008, it only had one cotton gin. Billy Turner of The Times-Picayune said "[t]here's some corn, some beans, but mostly, there's no business."^[5] By 2012 the SuperValu grocery store had closed. Melanie Townsend, a woman quoted in a 2012 Bolivar Commercial article, said that since the grocery store closed, few employment opportunities were available in Drew and that the Drew School District was the largest employer in the area.^[7]

Education

The City of Drew is served by the Sunflower County School District. Elementary and middle school students attend schools in Drew: A. W. James Elementary School (K-5) and Drew Hunter Middle School (6-8).^[12] High school students attend Ruleville Central High School in Ruleville.^[13]

The North Sunflower Academy is in an unincorporated area of Sunflower County,^[14] about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Drew.^[15] The school originated as a segregation academy,^[16] Mississippi Delta Community College has the Drew Center in Drew.^[17]

History of education

Previously it was served by the predominately African-American Drew School District.^[18][19] Prior to closure, the district's schools were Drew Hunter High School and A.W. James Elementary School.^[20] Prior to the 2010-2011 school year the school district had three school buildings, including A.W. James Elementary School, Hunter Middle School, and Drew High School.^[18] The Drew district was merged into Sunflower County schools in 2012.^[13] That year Drew High School's high school division was closed. High school students began attending Ruleville Central High School.^[13][21] Prior to Federal Government Forced Integration, beginning with the 1970-1971 school year, the Drew school district had four school buildings: the predominately and historically white Drew High School and A.W. James Elementary, and the newer African-American Hunter High School^[22] and the Lil’ Red Rosenwald School, which now houses a community center.^[23]

The Mae Bertha Carter^[24] children were the first and only African-Americans to attend Drew High School and A.W. James Elementary, in 1965-1970^[25] under "Freedom of Choice," whereby every race in the Drew School District had the freedom and right to choose which school their children would attend. No white, Asian-American, nor any other non-African-American families chose to send their children to any of the African-American schools in the district. As a result of the 1970 Federal forced integration and revocation of "Freedom of Choice" due to the actions and lawsuit of Marian Wright Edelman and Mae Bertha Carter^[26] against such freedom, Dorothea Collier, one of many African-Americans to attend Drew High School starting in the fall of 1970, was shot to death in 1971 at age 18.^[27] As of July 1, 2012, the Drew School District will be consolidated with the Sunflower County School District. Drew Hunter closed as of that date, with high school students rezoned to Ruleville Central High School.^[13]

Transportation

Ruleville-Drew Airport is in unincorporated Sunflower County, between Drew and Ruleville.^[28] The airport is jointly operated by the cities of Drew and Ruleville.^[29]

Notable residents and natives

• Mae Bertha Carter, Civil Rights activist.^[30]
• Boo Boo Davis, blues singer, released an album entitled Drew, Mississippi.^{[citation needed]}
• Al Dixon, football player.
• Harold Dorman, rock and roll singer and songwriter.
• William Eggleston, internationally famous groundbreaking photographer, grew up in Drew.
• Archie Manning, former NFL quarterback.^[31]
  • After Manning left to attend the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), he never lived in Drew again. His mother, Sis Manning, and his sister, Pam Manning, lived in Drew until Sis died on December 30, 2000. After Sis died, Pam moved to Oxford, Mississippi. Manning previously owned some farming land in Drew, but he later sold it. As of 2008, no sign in Drew commemorates Manning. According to Joanne Manning, a sign that had previously commemorated Manning fell down, and no individuals replaced it. One section of the Drew Cemetery is dedicated to the Manning family. The graves of Archie Manning's parents, uncles, and grandfather are located there.^[5]
  • The former residence of Archie Manning is located at the intersection of Green and Third, across from the former Drew High School. Manning's father had committed suicide in that house.^[5]
• Billy Stacy, football player.
• Pops Staples and Cleotha Staples, members of The Staple Singers.^[32]

References

• Moye, J. Todd (2004). Let the People Decide: Black Freedom and White Resistance Movements in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1945–1986. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-5561-4. 

Notes

External links

• Drew Chamber of Commerce (Archive)

v t e Municipalities and communities of Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States County seat: Indianola Cities Drew Indianola Moorhead Ruleville Shaw‡ Towns Doddsville Inverness Sunflower Unincorporated communities Baird Baltzer Blaine Boyer Caile Dockery Dwyer Fairview Heathman Holly Ridge Kinlock Linn Parchman Rome Roundaway Steiner Stephensville Ghost towns Cottondale Inwood Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties