Inverness, Mississippi

Inverness is a town in Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,019 at the 2010 census. As the town had the largest cotton gin in the Delta,[3] it served as a gathering place for farmers from the region when they brought their cotton for processing. The town was heavily damaged by a tornado in 1971.

Inverness, Mississippi
Town
Location of Inverness, Mississippi
Coordinates: 33°21′10″N 90°35′31″W
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountySunflower
Area
 • Total1.44 sq mi (3.73 km2)
 • Land1.44 sq mi (3.73 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
121 ft (37 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total1,019
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
866
 • Density601.39/sq mi (232.16/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
38753
Area code(s)662
FIPS code28-35020
GNIS feature ID0671715

History

The small town was virtually destroyed on February 21, 1971 when an F5 tornado of 40 or 50 storms struck more than a dozen towns in portions of Louisiana and Mississippi. A total of 36 people were killed in rural Mississippi as a result of the storm. Twenty-one of the victims were from Inverness, where a broad section of houses were destroyed.[3]

Geography

Inverness is located at 33°21′10″N 90°35′31″W (33.352845, -90.591992).[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), all land.

Inverness is about 90 miles (140 km) north of Jackson.[5]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1910221—
1920561153.8%
193068321.7%
1940677−0.9%
19501,01049.2%
19601,0392.9%
19701,1197.7%
19801,034−7.6%
19901,17413.5%
20001,153−1.8%
20101,019−11.6%
Est. 2019866[2]−15.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,019 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 50.7% Black, 47.6% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian and 0.2% from two or more races. 0.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 1,153 people, 411 households, and 311 families living in the town. The population density was 800.4 people per square mile (309.1/km2). There were 432 housing units at an average density of 299.9 per square mile (115.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 59.41% African American, 39.64% White, 0.78% Asian, and 0.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.

There were 411 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 24.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $31,912. Males had a median income of $26,429 versus $19,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,050. About 26.6% of families and 34.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.8% of those under age 18 and 39.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Primary and secondary schools
Central Delta Academy, prior to 2010, when it closed.

The Town of Inverness is served by the Sunflower County Consolidated School District (formerly Sunflower County School District). Inverness School (K-8) is the sole public school in Inverness.[8] As of 2012 it was zoned to Ruleville Central High School (now Thomas E. Edwards, Sr. High School), at the time the sole school of the district.[9]

After desegregation began in Inverness in the mid-20th century, white parents withdrew their children from the white public school, which closed. The white high school students began attending a private school in Indianola.[3]

Central Delta Academy was constructed in Inverness as a segregation academy, a private school for white students whose parents did not want them in the public school system, which was under federal rulings to desegregate.[10][11] It closed on May 21, 2010.[12] The building was auctioned off in 2011, and was bulldozed soon thereafter.

Colleges and universities

Delta State University, a public research university, and Mississippi Valley State University, a historically black college, are in the area.[13]

Public libraries

The Sunflower County Library operates the Inverness Public Library.[14]


Notable people
Little Milton
  • Mary E. Flowers, Member of the Illinois House of Representatives, was born here; her family moved to Chicago, where she grew up and went to college
  • Henry Gantz, youngest coach to win the Mississippi Association Independent Schools Overall Title.[15]
  • Boyd Gilmore (June 1, 1905 – December 23, 1976)[16] – a Delta blues musician was born near Inverness
  • Samuel Jones, composer and Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame inductee was born in Inverness in 1935.
  • Willie Kent, Blues musician
  • Little Milton, Blues musician and Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame member was born in Inverness in 1934.
  • Ernie Terrell, boxer.
  • Norris Thomas, professional American football player

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. Reed, Roy. "A Town's Luck Ends as Tornado Hits; A Town's Luck Ends as Tornado Hits." The New York Times. February 23, 1971. Page 1. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "closed the white public school and sent their children to a private school at nearby Indianola rather than[...]"
  4. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. "Tornado Toll Rising in South." Associated Press at the Bangor Daily News. February 23, 1971. Volume 82, No. 215. City Page 1. Retrieved from Google News (1 of 47) on March 1, 2011.
  6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  8. "Inverness Elementary School." Sunflower County School District. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  9. "Schools." Sunflower County School District. September 14, 2012. Retrieved on July 8, 2017.
  10. Moye, J. Todd. Let the People Decide: Black Freedom and White Resistance Movements in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1945-1986. UNC Press Books, 2004. 243. Retrieved from Google Books on March 2, 2011. "Sunflower County's two other segregation academies— North Sunflower Academy, between Drew and Ruleville, and Central Delta Academy in Inverness— both sprouted in a similar fashion." ISBN 0-8078-5561-8, ISBN 978-0-8078-5561-4.
  11. "Contacts Archived 2009-09-29 at the Wayback Machine." Central Delta Academy. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  12. "Home." (image on archive page broken) Central Delta Academy. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
  13. "Education." Inverness Chamber of Congress. Retrieved on March 3, 2011.
  14. "Sunflower County Library Directory." Sunflower County Library. Retrieved on July 21, 2010.
  15. Clements, Mark (March 9, 2013). "Central Private boys basketball gets school's first title". The Advocate. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  16. "Illustrated Boyd Gilmore discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
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