De Soto, Mississippi

De Soto is an unincorporated community in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States.

De Soto, Mississippi
Unincorporated community
De Soto Show map of Mississippi De Soto Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 31°58′26″N 88°42′48″W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Clarke
Elevation	210 ft (60 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	601 & 769
GNIS feature ID	669157[1]

History

De Soto was named after Hernando de Soto.[2] De Soto was one of four principle towns established in Clarke County before the American Civil War. Established along the Chickasawhay River before the arrival of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, construction of housing in De Soto may have started as early as 1845 and by 1858 churches were being erected. The town had a Post Office and two churches in 1900 when the population was 258.[3]

A post office operated under the name De Soto from 1856 to 1978.[4]

At one point, De Soto was home to two sawmills, a drug store, a hotel, a blacksmith, and multiple general stores.[2]

Four sites in De Soto are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the C. V. Akin House, the Carmichael House, the Cook-Sellers House, and the Covington House.[5]

References

1. "De Soto". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
2. Howe, Tony. "De Soto, Mississippi". Mississippi Rails. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
3. Enzweiler, Susan M. (20 May 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Clarke County MPS". National Register of Historic Places. Washington, D.C., USA: National Park Service. Retrieved 2 Mar 2020.
4. "Clarke County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.