Walnut Grove, Mississippi

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Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Town
Location of Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Location of Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Walnut Grove, Mississippi is located in the United States
Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 32°35′45″N 89°27′32″W / 32.59583°N 89.45889°W / 32.59583; -89.45889Coordinates: 32°35′45″N 89°27′32″W / 32.59583°N 89.45889°W / 32.59583; -89.45889
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyLeake
Government
 • MayorBrian Gomillion
 • BoardJerry Darby, Teresa Darby, Mike Johnson, Cindy Jones, Shantell Edwards
Area
[1]
 • Total1.62 sq mi (4.19 km2)
 • Land1.62 sq mi (4.19 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
361 ft (110 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total1,911
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
1,673
 • Density1,035.27/sq mi (399.75/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
39189
Area code(s)601
FIPS code28-77520
GNIS feature ID0679299
Websitewww.walnutgrove-ms.com
Official flag

Walnut Grove is a town in Leake County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,911 at the 2010 census, an increase from 488 at the 2000 census. The growth was due to the town's annexation of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, which had been privately owned and operated since 2001 under a contract with the state Department of Corrections. By 2011 it was the largest juvenile facility in the nation. Because of repeated problems at the troubled facility, the state closed it in 2016 and transferred the juvenile prisoners to other facilities.[3]

Golden Memorial State Park is located east of the town.

History[]

Walnut Grove began as a European-American settlement in a nearby location, now referred to as "Old Walnut Grove". This area was developed as cotton plantations in the antebellum era. The town was incorporated in 1884.[4] A post office was established in 1854,[5] and in the early 1900s, electricity and street lights were installed.[4]

The Jackson and Eastern Railway was completed from Union, MS to Walnut Grove in 1923, and then extended to nearby Tuscola, Mississippi in 1925.[6]

The town was surveyed at its present location in 1923. Two canals were built near Walnut Grove in the late 1920s to improve transportation. Walnut Grove received a telephone franchise in 1927, and was connected to the Forest exchange.

In 1962, a sewage and water system was installed, and in 1966, natural gas was installed. In 1970, the town organized and trained a volunteer fire department, though the first fire truck was not purchased until 1974.[4]

Walnut Grove's Marshall (Police Chief) Jake Trest, was murdered in 1979. His killer, Edward Earl Johnson, was executed in 1987.[7]

In 1981, was elected as mayor of Walnut Grove and was repeatedly re-elected, serving until 2012. He was one of the longest-serving mayors in the state. By 2006 the town annexed the property of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, which had been constructed nearby in the county in 2001. It added a large area and population of prisoners to the town. Because the facility was privately owned, although operated under contract to the state, it made payments to the city in lieu of taxes. In addition, the operating company appointed Sims as warden of the prison in 2009. The company's payments in lieu of taxes for the prison constituted 15% of the city's budget in 2011.[8] State expansion of the prison population at this facility made it the largest youth facility in the nation.

In 2009, Sims took a female prisoner to a nearby motel and raped her. He was convicted of charges and sentenced to seven months in confinement.[3] Numerous investigations of conditions at the prison resulted in a class-action suit filed in 2010 in federal court against its management and the state. The federal government started a separate investigation by the Department of Justice.

Sims resigned as warden. In 2011 he was indicted on two federal charges; in February 2012 he resigned as mayor under a federal plea agreement.[9] In October 2011 he was ordered by the state auditor to pay "$31,530 for using city employees and equipment to work on private prisons in the area, including the one he ran."[10]

Geography[]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land.

Cityscape[]

The community's town hall, post office, and library are in the central part of Walnut Grove.[11]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890166—
190020724.7%
1910199−3.9%
1930753—
1940653−13.3%
1950517−20.8%
1960433−16.2%
1970398−8.1%
198043910.3%
1990389−11.4%
200048825.4%
20101,911291.6%
2019 (est.)1,673[2]−12.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
Official town seal of Walnut Grove

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 488 people, 215 households, and 127 families residing in the town. The population density was 610.2 people per square mile (235.5/km2). There were 239 housing units at an average density of 298.9 per square mile (115.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 57.38% White, 40.78% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.20% Pacific Islander, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.

There were 215 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,719, and the median income for a family was $27,981. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $26,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,851. About 25.2% of families and 29.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.1% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

The 2006 population estimate had 1,424 residents; this dramatic increase is due to the annexation of the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility and its inmate population.[14] The continued growth through estimates for 2016 largely represented additional inmate population.

Economy[]

Marco Apparel, a clothing manufacturer, opened in Walnut Grove in 1984. In 2001, it laid off more than 100 employees.[15] The city was struggling to survive.

In 2001, the privately owned Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility was opened in unincorporated county land after being constructed for private operation under contract with the state; it was designed for youth offenders of 18 and under in age. Originally it was considered a model facility. But the state kept raising the age of offenders who were incarcerated there, and some prisoners aged there, so the population included young men in their 20s as well as much younger youths.

From 2003 to 2010, the prison was operated by Cornell Companies, which merged that year with GEO Group. The town annexed the prison property before 2006, thereby markedly increasing its population.[14] The prisoners outnumbered town residents by a two to one ratio. In addition to hiring town residents as guards and staff, the prison paid the city substantial amounts in lieu of taxes, with payments making up 15% of the city's annual budget in 2011.[8] The facility was subject of many state and federal investigations and was closed in September 2016.

Government[]

The Town of Walnut Grove has an alderman/mayor form of government, with the mayor voting in case of a tie. City government is made up of six elected aldermen from single-member districts, a mayor elected at-large, an elected municipal clerk, and an appointed police chief.[citation needed]

The mayor is Brian Gomillion, elected in 2013, and the Board of Aldermen includes: Jerry Darby, Teresa Darby, Pamela Gill, Shantell Edwards,[16] Cindy Jones, and Mike Johnson.[17][18]

Education[]

The town is served by the Leake County School District:

  • Leake County Elementary (K-6)
  • Leake County High School (7-12)

Notable people[]

References[]

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Wiliams, Timothy (16 September 2016). "Privately Run Mississippi Prison, Called a Scene of Horror, is Shut Down". New York Times. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "History of Walnut Grove, Leake County, Mississippi". msleake. April 1975.
  5. ^ Howe, Tony. "Walnut Grove, Mississippi". Mississippi Rails. Retrieved February 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  6. ^ Hoffman, Gil. "Jackson & Eastern Railway". Mississippi Rails. Retrieved February 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  7. ^ O'Shea, Kathleen A. (1999). Women and the Death Penalty in the United States, 1900–1998. Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 9780275959524.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Burnett, John (March 25, 2011). "Town Relies On Troubled Youth Prison For Profits". NPR.
  9. ^ "Former Mayor of Walnut Grove Sentenced for Federal Witness Tampering". Federal Bureau of Investigation. April 24, 2012.
  10. ^ "Longtime mayor of Miss. town, William Grady Sims, accused of sexually assaulting an inmate", CBS News, 26 October 2011, accessed 30 January 2016
  11. ^ "Walnut Grove" (Archive). First Impressions. Mississippi State University, February 2008. 5 (5/21). Retrieved on August 14, 2010.
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Walnut Grove." First Impressions. Mississippi State University, February 2008. 0 (3/21). Retrieved on August 14, 2010. "Looking at the MDA profile, the population growth is impressive (year 2000 – 488, year 2006 – 1,424). However, we learned that most of this population growth has been due to the location and annexation of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility."
  15. ^ "Industrial Closures and Layoffs since 1997 in Leake County, Mississippi" (PDF). Leake County. Retrieved February 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  16. ^ Staff (2019-12-30). "New Alderman appointed in Walnut Grove". Kicks96news.com - Central Mississippi News 24/7. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  17. ^ "Town of Walnut Grove Municipal General Election Results". Town of Walnut Grove. June 4, 2013.[dead link]
  18. ^ Staff Report (2017-07-07). "Walnut Grove leaders take oath of office". Kicks96news.com - Central Mississippi News 24/7. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  19. ^ "Sue Gunter". Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  20. ^ Rohrlich, Justin (Nov 18, 2009). "Rags to Riches CEOs: Ken Lewis". Minyanville.
  21. ^ "Luther J. Riley Named Head Men's Basketball Coach at Alcorn State University". Alcorn State University. March 28, 2011.

External links[]

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