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Mississippi Counties
There are eighty counties in Mississippi. Two original counties were Adams County and Jefferson County (formerly Pickering) established in 1799Clarke County, Mississippi
Clarke County Education, Geography, and History
Clarke County is a county located in the state of Mississippi. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 16,732. Its county seat is
Quitman.Clarke County is named for Joshua G. Clarke, the first Mississippi state chancellor and judge.
The county is part of the Meridian, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Clarke County Name
Clarke is named for first Mississippi state chancellor and judge Joshua G. Clarke.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Clarke County History
Clarke County was established December 23, 1833 and was created from the Choctaw Cession of 1830. It was named in
honor of Judge Joshua G. Clarke, the first Chancellor of the State. Its southern line which divides it from Wayne County
marks the old Choctaw boundary.
The original act defined its limits as follows:
"Beginning on the State line of Alabama, at the point at which the line between townships four and five strikes said State line, and running thence west with said line between townships four and five, to the line between ranges thirteen and fourteen east; thence south, with said line between ranges thirteen and fourteen east to the southern boundary line of the Choctaw nation, thence east with said boundary line to the northwest corner of the Higoowanne reserve; thence to the northeast corner of the same; thence east along said boundary line to the point at which the southern boundary of township number one strikes the same; thence directly east to the State of Alabama, and thence north with said State line to the place of beginning."
The following is a list of the first officers of the county: David B. Thompson, Sheriff; George Evans, Treasurer;
Henry Hailes, Probate Judge; William Covington, Clerk of the Circuit and Probate Courts; Norman Martin, Samuel K.
Lewis, George Knight, Stephen Grice, Calvin M. Ludlow, members of the Board of Police.
The county seat is Quitman, located at the center of the county on the line of the Mobile & Ohio railway. The site
was owned and laid off into lots by Gen. John Watts, afterwards Circuit Judge. It was named for Gen. John A.
Quitman, second Chancellor of the State, afterwards governor and a prominent officer in the Mexican war. Two more of
the important towns in the county are Stonewall and Enterprise, in the northern part of the county on the line of
the Mobile & Ohio, containing 1,000 inhabitants. The Chickasawhay River flows through the center of the county, and,
with its numerous tributaries, provides ample water facilities. All the waters of the county flow southward, and
join the Pascagoula River in Greene County.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 693 square miles (1,796 km2), of which, 691
square miles (1,790 km2) of it is land and 2 square miles (6 km2) of it (0.31%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Lauderdale County (north)
- Choctaw County, Alabama (east)
- Wayne County (south)
- Jasper County (west)
Education
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