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26-536: Nashoba County, Choctaw Nation was named for Neshoba County, Mississippi , where some of the Choctaw had historically lived. Nashoba is the Choctaw word for “wolf.” Although occasionally known as Wolf County, the county was generally referred to by its Choctaw name. Due to an agreement among clan chiefs prior to the removal to the west now known as the Trail of Tears , many of the residents of Neshoba County settled in

52-429: A new constitution in 1890, that effectively disenfranchised most freedmen and other non-whites, such as Native Americans. This exclusion was maintained well into the 20th century, but activists in the 1960s increasingly worked to restore voting rights throughout the state. At various times, 76 post offices were established within the county. Around the turn of the 20th century, 40 small post offices were operating at

78-594: A household in the county was $ 28,300, and the median income for a family was $ 33,439. Males had a median income of $ 28,112 versus $ 19,882 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 14,964. About 17.90% of families and 21.00% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.20% of those under age 18 and 22.00% of those age 65 or over. School districts include: Choctaw Tribal School System maintains Bogue Chitto Elementary School, Pearl River Elementary School, Tucker Elementary School, Choctaw Central Middle School, and Choctaw Central High School in

104-641: Is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Mississippi . As of the 2020 census , the population was 29,087. Its county seat is Philadelphia . The county is known for the Neshoba County Fair and harness horse races . It is home of the Williams Brothers Store, which has been in operation since the early 1900s. In June 1964, civil rights workers James Chaney , Andrew Goodman , and Michael Schwerner were chased down, tortured, and murdered by members of

130-511: Is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km ) (0.3%) is water. As of the 2020 United States Census , there were 29,087 people, 10,657 households, and 7,184 families residing in the county. As of the census of 2000, there were 28,684 people, 10,694 households, and 7,742 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19 people/km ). There were 11,980 housing units at an average density of 21 units per square mile (8.1 units/km ). The racial makeup of

156-607: The Neshoba County Fair to deliver a speech on economic policy and refer to states' rights . He was believed by some to be referring to southern conservative values, in an area associated with the 1964 murders and at a time when the Republican Party was attracting more white conservatives from the Democratic Party. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 572 square miles (1,480 km ), of which 570 square miles (1,500 km )

182-707: The Choctaw counties. Nashoba County was to be divided principally into the proposed Pushmataha County , McCurtain, and Wade counties. Two years later, the state of Oklahoma’s framers adopted certain of the concepts proposed for the definition of the future McCurtain and Pushmataha counties in Oklahoma. The territory formerly comprising Nashoba County, Choctaw Nation now falls primarily within McCurtain and Pushmataha counties. Nashoba County ceased to exist upon Oklahoma ’s admission to statehood on November 16, 1907. Neshoba County, Mississippi Neshoba County

208-574: The Fair's most well-known traditions occurs during election season, when elected officials and candidates from across the state attend the fair to give speeches. A number of national candidates, including Ronald Reagan and John Glenn have made appearances at the fair. Reagan's states' rights speech there during his 1980 presidential campaign has become a famous example of alleged dog-whistle racism in American politics. Critics of Reagan have argued it

234-613: The Ku Klux Klan . They were buried in an earthen dam on private property off of Highway 21; Goodman was still alive. Initially treated as a missing persons case, their disappearance provoked national outrage and contributed significantly to the July enactment of the Civil Rights Act by President Johnson . The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI), a federally recognized tribe, is based here and has developed one of

260-701: The Mississippi River, to land in Indian Territory , now part of Oklahoma. Neshoba was founded by European American settlers in 1833. Descendants of the Choctaw who remained in the state continued to identify as Choctaw. They lived in relatively distinct communities and reorganized in the 1930s, gaining federal recognition as the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians . Even in the 1970s, eighty percent of their people continued to speak Choctaw. The white-dominated state legislature passed

286-470: The North, disappeared at a time of heightened violence, and they became the subjects of a state and FBI search. White supremacists were found to have murdered three civil rights activists : James Cheney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner near Philadelphia , the county seat. During the investigation , searchers found the bodies of eight other young black men in nearby locations. Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price

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312-506: The US so long ago that they identify simply as American. 88.7% spoke English and 10.2% Choctaw as their first language. There were 10,694 households, out of which 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 15.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who

338-601: The United States), and conducted the census. The county ranger advertised and sold strayed livestock. As Oklahoma’s statehood approached, its leading citizens gathered for the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention, and to lay out the future state’s counties. The Choctaw Nation’s counties had been logically designed for their purposes, but convention members concluded these could not exist as economically viable political subdivisions. In most,

364-485: The county seat had been established for conducting county court, but they had not developed as population centers. This conundrum was also recognized by the framers of the proposed State of Sequoyah . They had met in 1905 to propose statehood for the Indian Territory, as a jurisdiction to be controlled by Native Americans. The Sequoyah Constitutional Convention also proposed a county structure that abolished

390-491: The county was 65.50% White , 19.33% Black or African American , 13.80% Native American , 0.19% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.34% from other races , and 0.81% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 28.6% identified as of American ancestry, 8.8% as Irish and 6.1% as English , according to Census 2000 . Those who identify as having " American " ancestry are predominantly of English descent, but have ancestors who came to

416-452: The county. 32°45′N 89°07′W  /  32.75°N 89.12°W  / 32.75; -89.12 Neshoba County Fair The Neshoba County Fair , also known as Mississippi's Giant House Party , is an annual event of agricultural, political, and social entertainment held a few miles from Philadelphia, Mississippi . The fair was first established in 1889 and is the nation's largest campground fair. The event usually starts at

442-682: The end of July and lasts a week. The first fair was called the Coldwater Fair, and it had roots in church camp meetings. Families and some of their weirder friends coming to the Fair began camping on the grounds for the duration of the fair. In 1894 a pavilion was constructed and a hotel was built to accommodate visitors. Cabins began to replace wagons and tents and in 1898 the oaks were planted that shade Founder's Square today. The first cabins were simple one story structures with some being log cabins. -Neshoba County Fair Committee, Neshoba County Fair "Mississippi's Giant House Party" One of

468-601: The largest casino complexes in the state on their reservation, the Pearl River Resort . At the time of European encounter, this was part of the territory of the historic Choctaw people , who occupied most of what later was defined as Mississippi. Under President Andrew Jackson , the United States conducted Indian removal in the 1830s in the Southeast, and most of the Choctaw were removed to west of

494-501: The new Nashoba County in the Choctaw Nation after they reached Indian Territory. Nashoba County’s boundaries were established and designated according to easily recognizable natural landmarks, as were the boundaries of all Choctaw Nation counties. The Kiamichi River valley formed its northern boundary and Little River formed its western boundary. Arkansas (admitted as a state in 1836) was to its east, and its southern border

520-548: The north, Cedar County on the west, and Bok Tuklo and Eagle counties on the south. Its county seat was Nashoba Court House, a meeting ground which is no longer extant. It was located in present-day McCurtain County. The county was the site of Alikchi, designated as the capital of the Apukshunnubbee District. This was one of three administrative super-regions comprising the Choctaw Nation, of which Nashoba County

546-527: The same time. By 1971, only the post offices in Philadelphia and Neshoba were still operational. Today, only the one in Philadelphia remains. Neshoba County is known as the site of the lynching murder of three young activists in July 1964 during Freedom Summer in Mississippi, a period of education and a voter registration drive to prepare African Americans for voting. The three young men, two from

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572-457: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.20% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.30 males. The median income for

598-612: Was a constituent county. Present-day Rattan developed to the west of Alikchi, which is no longer extant. The county served as an election district for members of the National Council, and as a unit of local administration. Constitutional officers, all of whom served for two-year terms and were elected by the voters, included the county judge, sheriff, and a ranger. The judge’s duties included oversight of overall county administration. The sheriff collected taxes, monitored unlawful intrusion by intruders (usually white Americans from

624-669: Was a deliberate reactionary choice to campaign there, as it was close to the site of one of the most infamous acts of racist violence during the Freedom Summer of 1964. Iris Kelso , a Neshoba County native and a journalist in New Orleans , often wrote about the fair in her columns and later in her television commentary. No fair was held in 1917–18, 1942–45, and 2020. 32°42′51″N 89°12′51″W  /  32.714227°N 89.214158°W  / 32.714227; -89.214158 This Mississippi -related article

650-545: Was along a line drawn from Arkansas to Little River on the west. Although the act of legislation establishing Nashoba County does not reference it, the southern border appears to have been drawn to be coextensive with the Seven Devils Mountains. This general line of seven mountain peaks appears on early-day maps and in early accounts. The Seven Devils were considered to be a formidable geographic barrier. Four counties bordered Nashoba County: Wade County on

676-474: Was implicated and charged with being part of the group that lynched the three young men and buried them in an earthen dam 15 miles northeast of Philadelphia . Outrage over the crime contributed to congressional passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. The crime and decades-long legal aftermath of investigation and trials inspired the 1988 movie Mississippi Burning . In 1980, Ronald Reagan launched his presidential campaign at

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