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History of Webster Co, MS
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Webster County was established April 6, 1874, under the name of Sumner county. Its name was changed to Webster by act of Jan. 30, 1889, in honor of the great statesman Daniel Webster. The county has a land surface of 409 square miles. It is carved from Choctaw county, north of the Big Black river, and part of Montgomery county. The act, creating it, established its boundaries as follows:
"Beginning at the northwest corner of township 21, range 8 east; thence east on township line to the northeast corner of township 21, range 11 east; thence south to the southeast corner of township 20, range 11 east; thence west on township line to within one mile of Big Black river; thence southwest, parallel with Big Black river, to appoint one mile south of where said river intersects the range line between ranges 7 and 8; thence north on said range line to the point of beginning; provided that no territory shall be taken from Oktibbeha county."
The old boundary line between the Choctaw and Chickasaw cessions cuts across its northeast corner and Calhoun and Chickasaw counties lie on the north, Clay county on the east, Choctaw county on the south and Montgomery and Grenada counties on the west. By the act creating the county as above, the Governor was authorized to appoint and commission five persons to act as a Board of Supervisors, who shall proceed at once to organize the new county, and was also empowered to appoint the usual county officers. The following officers were appointed by Governor AMES in compliance with the foregoing provision: IRA McDOWELL, President; DAVID NOWLIN, G. W. POLLAN, J. W. STARNES, AARON SMITH, members of the Board of Supervisors; J. W. HOLLAND, Sheriff; Dr. W.A F. CALDWELL, Clerk of the Chancery and Circuit Courts; AARON HUTTO, Treasurer; R. F. HOLLOWAY, Superintendent of Education. The act further recited that the county site should be determined by a vote of all the people of the new territory, which placed it at Walthall, near the geographical center.
Meanwhile courts continued to be held at Greensboro, the old county seat of justice for Choctaw county until 1876. This old town was located in Section 8, twp. 19, range 9 east. It once had about 250 inhabitants and some ten business houses. Its courts were attended by such men as J. A. GEORGE, REUBEN DAVIS, E. C. WALTHALL, WILEY P. HARRIS and BOB HUDSON. Its most prominent citizens in the early days were J. V. STEEN, WILEY MARSHALL, FRANK LIDDELL, T. N. DAVIS, JOHN NOLEN, CAPT. J. B. DUNN, COL. WM. BRANTLEY, and J. J. CAMPBELL. It was a favorite stopping place for legislators en route to Jackson 120 miles away, via the old Natchez Trace. The old town was burned during the war, and the court house in 1871, when the place began to rapidly decay, and became a noted resort for criminals of a desperate character. The old log jail, built in 1839 or 1840 now stands, an interesting relic of bygone days, but all else is ruin and dilapidation.
Among the early representatives of the county in the Legislature were M. A. METTS (1876-1878); J. E. BRIDGES, S. M. ROANE, T. N. DAVIS, and S. E. PARKER. The county site is Walthall above mentioned, named for Gen. E. C. WALTHALL, and it contains a population of 170. There are no large towns in the county, Eupora, with 1,200 people being the largest settlement. Other railroad towns at Mathiston (pop. 600), Grady, Sapa, and Tomnolen. In the interior are Bellefontaine, Fame, Clarkson and Lerma. Two railraods furnish the county with excellent transportation facilities; THE SOUTHERN, which traverses the southern border of the county, and the Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City R. R. which traverses the county along the eastern border from north to south. The Big Black river and its tributaries, L. Black and Sand Creeks; and Sabola, Shutispear and Tupashaw creeks, tributaries of the Yalobusha river, are the principal water courses. Webster is termed a hill county, but the land is level on the bottoms, and portions are undulating. The black-jack and pine lands are poor, the bottom soils very good, and the undulating lands of average fertility.
There are 80,511 acres of cleared land and much of the balance is timbered with pine, various kinds of oak, hickory, poplar, beech, ash, blackjack, and sweet and black gum, and cypress on the bottoms. The soil produces cotton, corn, wheat, oats, sweet potatoes, peas, and most of the fruits and vegetables. Extensive pasturage is to be found and the live stock of the county is valued at $438,782. A good deal of attention of late years has been paid to breeding a good grade of work horses. The climate and health of the county are very good, and the school and church privileges of the region are reported good. Numerous small mills and factories are in operation, but none are of any great importance.
The following statistics, taken from the United States census for 1900, relate to farms, manufactures and population: - Number of farms 2,262, acreage in farms 240,567, acres improved 80,411, value of the lands and improvements, exclusive of buildings $711, 220, value of buildings $313,430, value of the live stock $438,782, total value of products not fed to stock $755,504. Number of manufactureres 47, capital invested $97,908, wages paid $18,687, cost of materials used $48,447, total value of products $147,332.
The
population in 1900 was whites 9,694, colored 3,925, total 13,519, increase of
1,559 over the year 1900. The population in 1905 was estimated at
15,000. Land values have increased rapidly in the last 4 years nad have
more than doubled in that length of time. artesian water has been found in
various parts of the county. The total assessed valuation of real and
personal property in Webster county in 1905 was $1,344,101 and in 1906 it was
$,504,970, which shows an increase of $160,869 during the year.
SOURCE PUBLIC DOMAIN MATERIAL: Encyclopedia of
Mississippi History; Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events,
Institutions and Persona; Planned and Edited by Dunbar Rowland, LL.D.
Director Mississippi Department of Archives and History; Member American
Historical Associations, Vol. II. L-Z 1907