Warrenton, Mississippi

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Warrenton, Mississippi
Unincorporated community
Old Hopewell Cemetery
Old Hopewell Cemetery
Warrenton, Mississippi is located in Mississippi
Warrenton, Mississippi
Warrenton, Mississippi
Coordinates: 32°14′51″N 90°55′42″W / 32.24750°N 90.92833°W / 32.24750; -90.92833Coordinates: 32°14′51″N 90°55′42″W / 32.24750°N 90.92833°W / 32.24750; -90.92833
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyWarren
Elevation
105 ft (32 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID679355[1]

Warrenton is an unincorporated community in Warren County, Mississippi. It is located approximately 5 miles south of Vicksburg on U.S. Route 61.

Warrenton is part of the Vicksburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History[]

The earliest settlement in this community was Hopewell Methodist Church and Cemetery, established in 1805. It was the first church in Warren County, and still exists a short distance east of Warrenton.[2][3]

Sometime after 1809, a brick courthouse was constructed at Warrenton, and the town became the first county seat.[4]

A post office was established in 1811,[5] and the town incorporated in 1820.[6]

At the time, Warrenton was the largest, most centrally located, and most important place in the county.[7]

Nearby Vicksburg began to prosper due to its better landing, higher location, and more vigorous leadership. The county seat was moved there in 1825.[4][8]

During the 1830s, Warrenton continued as a place of cotton export.[9]

Due to the town's low-lying swampy location, it suffered from river floods and epidemics such as yellow fever, smallpox and cholera.[8]

During the Civil War, Confederate forces established a fortification at Warrenton. The town was badly damaged by shelling during the war.[8]

Warrenton was a stop on the Vicksburg, Pensacola and Ship Island Railroad, constructed in the 1870s.[5]

After 1883, the river moved westward, leaving a sandbank between the town and its port. The town quickly declined. In 1903, the post office was removed.[5][8]

Today, the community is a mix of agriculture and residential properties. Nothing remains of the original settlement but the Hopewell Church and Cemetery. The Vicksburg Airport is located at the south end of Warrenton.

References[]

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Warrenton, Mississippi
  2. ^ Southern Lady (September 19, 2011). "Old Hopewell Cemetery, Warren County, MS". Welcome to Southern Lagniappe.
  3. ^ "The Country Churches of Warren County, Mississippi" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Cotton, Gordon. "History of Warren County, Mississippi". Warren County. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Howe, Tony. "Warrenton, Mississippi". Mississippi Rails. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  6. ^ Statutes of the Mississippi Territory. P. Isler, Printer to the Territory. 1824.
  7. ^ Rohrbough, Malcolm J. (2008). Trans-Appalachian Frontier: People, Societies, and Institutions, 1775-1850. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253219329.
  8. ^ a b c d Bragg, Marion (1977). Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River (PDF). Mississippi River Commission. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  9. ^ Flint, Timothy (1833). The History and Geography of the Mississippi Valley to which is Appended a Condensed Physical Geography of the Atlantic United States, and the Whole American Continent. E.H. Flint.

External links[]

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