Grenada, Mississippi

Grenada, Mississippi
Grenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 13,092 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County.
History
Grenada was formed in 1836, after federal removal of the Choctaw people who had previously occupied this territory. It was the result of the union of the two adjacent towns (separated by the present-day Line Street) of Pittsburg and Tulahoma (or Tullahoma), founded, respectively, by Franklin Plummer and Hiram Runnels.
Development included stores and businesses that supported the county court and market days.
Plantations were first developed along the Yalobusha River for transportation and access to water. Cotton was the major commodity crop, dependent on the labor of African slaves.
In 1851, Grenada townspeople founded the Yalobusha Baptist Female Institute for education of their young White women. In 1882, the school was taken over by the Methodists and renamed as Grenada College. Classified in the 20th century as a junior college, it encountered financial troubles during the Great Depression. The church closed the college in 1936 and transferred its assets to Millsaps College.
On December 20, 1862, Confederate general Earl Van Dorn, whose troops were encamped in Grenada, led the three brigades under his command in a raid that destroyed the Union supply depot at Holly Springs, Mississippi.
In 1885 two men, Perry McChristian and Felix Williams, were accused of murdering two peddlers and were lynched. During the lynching, they implicated two black men, Bartley James and John Campbell, who were then also lynched by a mob of White men.
Civil rights era
In 1966, Martin Luther King Jr. and Dick Gregory spent a week demonstrating in Grenada against discrimination and for voters' rights. During that time, town officials cooperated and protected marchers with local police. Six black voter registrars were hired and registered 1,000 black residents during that week. After the march passed through, the county fired the registrars and the town never entered the new black voters on official rolls; they had to start over again to gain official voter registration.
As the civil rights movement continued to press in 1966 and 1967 for voter registration and opportunities in employment, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) ran a civil rights organizing project in Grenada which lasted at least 11 months. They worked to register voters and gain concessions for hiring black Americans in local businesses and restaurants. These were still segregated, despite the federal anti-segregation and voting rights laws.
In August 1966, a federal judge ordered Grenada to allow black students to enroll in the previously all-White schools. White leaders used threats of eviction and firing to coerce black parents to withdraw their children from school. While the intimidation caused 200 out of 450 students to withdraw, the remaining 250 students attempted to enter school on September 12, 1966. A group of White people met them at the school and chased them away, pursuing them through the streets and beating the children with chains, pipes and clubs. The group went so far as to beat reporters as well. The group repeated this for the first week of school, while local law enforcement did not intervene. Federal protection for the children began on September 17, and 13 members of the group were arrested.
Geography
The Yalobusha River flows through Grenada. Grenada Lake is located a short distance east of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.03% is water.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,700 people, 5,100 households, and 2,988 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,879 people, 5,701 households, and 3,870 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,210 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 49.28% White, 49.34% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.
There were 5,701 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 22.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,589, and the median income for a family was $31,316. Males had a median income of $27,946 versus $21,913 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,734. About 20.3% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 27.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Prior to 1966, a segregated system of schools was provided, with black children attending one set of schools and White children another. In 1966 the school system instituted a "freedom of choice" plan, which allowed black students to attend previously all-White schools. White people congregated outside the schools to prevent black students from entering, and attacked young children when they left school in the afternoon. In 1966, parents established the Grenada Educational Foundation, now known as Kirk Academy, as an alternative to racially-integrated education. Grenada, as well as Grenada County, is currently served by the Grenada School District.
Notable people
Phillip Alford, actor
Chris Avery, football player
Pete Boone, athletic director
E.L. Boteler, politician and businessman
Ace Cannon, musician
Walter Davis, blues musician
Emmanuel Forbes, football player
Jake Gibbs, baseball player, All American football player
George Robert Hightower, educator
M. D. Jennings, football player
Trent Lott, U.S. senator
Jim Miles, baseball player
Ike Pearson, baseball player
Tyre Phillips, football player
Freeman Ransom, lawyer, businessman, and civic activist
Greg Robinson, football player
Magic Sam, blues musician
Joseph D. Sayers, 22nd Governor of Texas
Magic Slim, blues musician
Homer Spragins, baseball player
Trumaine Sykes, football player
Donna Tartt, author
Edward C. Walthall, United States senator
Howard Waugh, Canadian football player and humanitarian
Luke J. Weathers (1920–2011), former Tuskegee Airmen
Eddie Willis, member of Funk Brothers
William Winter, governor of Mississippi (1980-1984)
Charlie Worsham, country singer, musician, and songwriter
Frank Wright, jazz musician
Genard Avery, football player
See also
Billups Neon Crossing Signal, a unique railroad crossing signal erected in Grenada.
References
External links
City of Grenada official website
Cities in Mississippi
Cities in Grenada County, Mississippi
County seats in Mississippi
Micropolitan areas of Mississippi
Populated places established in 1836