Warrenton, Mississippi

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

Warrenton, Mississippi
Unincorporated community
Old Hopewell Cemetery
Warrenton, Mississippi
Warrenton, Mississippi
Coordinates: 32°14′51″N 90°55′42″W
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 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.

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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. Cotton, Gordon. "History of Warren County, Mississippi". Warren County. Retrieved March 2014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. Howe, Tony. "Warrenton, Mississippi". Mississippi Rails. Retrieved March 2014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  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.
  8. Bragg, Marion (1977). Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River (PDF). Mississippi River Commission.
  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.
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