Mississippi Facts and Figures

1876 artwork by Henry Mitchell, via Wikipedia Commons

 Mississippi ranks 21st among states and provinces with markers in this database. Mississippi is a state in the United States of America located in the American South. It is also in the East South Central region. Mississippi is some 48 thousand square miles in size with a population of around 3 million people. The state is divided into 82 counties and 79 of them have entries in this database. In Mississippi we have discovered historical markers in 255 cities and towns lying in 235 different ZIP Codes.

How many historical markers are there in Mississippi? There are least 2,028 of them, by our count. We have cataloged 2,017 historical markers and 137 war memorials—each individually presented on 2,108 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. Pages for historical markers from this state make up 1.6% of our total. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another eleven historical markers in Mississippi that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

The first Mississippi marker in the database, Madison County Courthouse, was added December 10, 2006. It was photographed in Canton in Madison County and was erected in 1977. The last one added was submitted on January 19, 2020, and titled Confederate Heroes Monument. It is in Iuka in Tishomingo County and had been erected in 1902. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, the earliest historical marker we know of in Mississippi was erected in 1846. It was this one: Adam Rum, and one of our correspondents found it in Fayette in Jefferson County on December 25, 2019.

Mississippians don’t want to forget their Civil War history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Mississippi about the Civil War—734 of them—than about any other historical category. It is followed by African Americans with 348 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Civil War category was Forks of the Road, added January 15, 2008. It had been erected in 1998 in Natchez in Adams County. The last one submitted also was submitted on January 19, 2020, and titled Confederate Heroes Monument. It had been erected in 1902 in Iuka in Tishomingo County. The earliest marker erected with the Civil War category that we have listed was erected in 1881. It is Confederate Monument, found in Canton in Madison County on July 30, 2018.

What is the most interesting historical marker in Mississippi? What we know is that Forks of the Road is the most viewed entry in the database from Mississippi since it was added in 2008. This year so far, the most viewed Mississippian entry is located in Vicksburg in Warren County. It is Tobias Gibson.

The Mississippi county with the most historical markers listed in this database is Warren County, with 447 of them. It is followed by Adams County with 162 markers. The Vicksburg National Military Park area of Warren County has the highest number of markers within its limits, 297. In Adams County the area with the most markers, 139, is Natchez.

Checking the database for the city or town in Mississippi with the most markers we again find Vicksburg National Military Park at the top of the list with 297 markers in or near it. It is followed by Vicksburg in Warren County with 143 markers. For the ZIP Code with the most markers it’s 39183 at the top of the list with 346 markers in its delivery area. (ZIP Code 39183 is assigned to Vicksburg MS including the Bovina, and Letourneau delivery areas.) It is followed by ZIP Code 39120 with 153 markers. (39120 is assigned to Natchez MS including the Church Hill delivery area.)

Getting back to Warren County, the first marker added to the database from there, Vicksburg Siege, was added March 5, 2008. in Vicksburg. The last one submitted was uploaded on October 20, 2019, and is titled U.S. Battery A,, in Vicksburg. The earliest marker erected in Warren County that we have listed was erected in 1887. It was Louisiana Civil War Monument, found in Vicksburg on November 10, 2017.

By Cosmos Mariner, May 13, 2015

Latest Entry from Mississippi
“Confederate Heroes Monument”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Natchez. The first: Natchez, was added January 3, 2008. It had been erected in 1949. The last: Address by President Lincoln added on January 4, 2020. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1909: The Natchez Trace, added on January 6, 2008.

Mississippi Department of Archives and History is currently in charge of the familiar green, silver and gold official historical markers found all over the state. You will also find official markers erected by the Mississippi Historical Commission, a predecessor. They erected their first marker in 1949, and we have 742 of their markers in the database.

In addition, the Mississippi Blues Commission has also erected numerous historical markers, and we have 284 of their Mississippi markers in the database. Also, a number of counties have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some cities and towns.

By Rick Collins, September 29, 2016

A Mississippi Department of Archives and History Historical Marker

Then there are federal government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

You’ll find that even the smallest, least populated, or most rural areas of Mississippi have been marked with history. Check out Quitman County, Benton County and George County. We've only found one historical marker in each. Visiting one or more of these parts of Mississippi might make for a pleasant road trip, and maybe you’ll discover more historical markers while you’re there. If you do, perhaps you’ll take the time to photograph them and, when you get home, become an HMdb correspondent by adding them to the database. Happy Hunting!