Pontotoc, Mississippi

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Pontotoc, Mississippi
City
Pontotoc County Courthouse in Pontotoc
Flag
Location of Pontotoc, Mississippi
Pontotoc, Mississippi Show map of Mississippi Pontotoc, Mississippi Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 34°14′55″N 89°00′24″W / 34.24861°N 89.00667°W / 34.24861; -89.00667
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Pontotoc
Government
• Mayor	Bob Peeples (D)[1][2]
Area [3]
• Total	11.33 sq mi (29.36 km2)
• Land	11.18 sq mi (28.96 km2)
• Water	0.15 sq mi (0.40 km2)
Elevation [4]	459 ft (140 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,640
• Density	504.47/sq mi (194.78/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38863
Area code	662
FIPS code	28-59160
GNIS feature ID	2404549[4]
Website	www.pontotocms.org

Pontotoc is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Mississippi, located to the west of the larger city of Tupelo. The population was 5,640 at the 2020 census. Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word that means, “Land of the Hanging Grapes.” A section of the city largely along Main Street and Liberty Street has been designated the Pontotoc Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[5] The Treaty of Pontotoc Site is also listed on the National Register.^[6] The Treaty of Pontotoc Creek, part of U.S. president Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal policy, ceded millions of acres of Native American lands and relocated the Chicakasaw west of the Mississippi River.

The Chickasaw nation occupied this area long before Europeans colonized the Southeast, the last in a succession of indigenous peoples who had this territory for thousands of years. In the early 1830s they were forced to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River through the federal program of Indian removal. Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word meaning "Land of Hanging Grapes".^[7]

In the late 19th century, the outlaws Jesse and Frank James and their gang came into this area. They once hid at an old house that had been used as a Union Army hospital during the Battle of Harrisburg or Battle of Tupelo in the Civil War. The house was located at a crossroad in east Pontotoc County, near the Lee County line.

The Town Square Museum is located in the historic US post office near the county courthouse. This space is used to house and display Pontotoc memorabilia. A full-service post office continues to operate in the building, which was built in 1937 during the Great Depression. It was one of numerous projects of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Investment in this program created work opportunities in construction of needed public buildings and infrastructure across the country, employing thousands of workers.

A mural in the post office lobby, titled The Wedding of Ortez and SaOwana - Christmas 1540 (1939), was commissioned as public art. It depicts a legendary feast given by Hernando de Soto to celebrate what was said to be the first recorded Christian marriage on the North American continent. The account appears to be local myth.^[8]

The groom was said to be Juan Ortez (his name was spelled Ortiz in Spanish), an interpreter for the expedition. He was a Spanish national who had been captured in Florida years before and held by Chief Uceta. He was finally released as a slave and lived for years with the Mocoso people. His bride was said to be Princess Saowana, daughter of Chief Uceta. But Uceta's daughter was documented as Uleleh and she married a cacique, another Chickasaw chief. The wedding is said to have taken place in Pontotoc County during a visit by de Soto's party, but there is little documentation of such an event.^[8]

The mural was painted in 1939 by artist Joseph Pollet, who had immigrated to the US as a child with his family from Germany. He was commissioned under the arts program that was also part of the federal WPA program. Many artists and writers were employed by such projects, in addition to the workers who built federal buildings. Many murals and other art were created for post offices and other public buildings.^[8]

The city holds an annual festival in the Town Square during the last week of the month of September, called the Bodock Festival. It celebrates the Maclura pomifera (Osage orange) (also known as bois d'arc, or bowdock) tree located next to the historic mansion, Lochinvar; both survived a massive tornado in 2001.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.6 sq mi (25 km²), of which 9.4 sq mi (24 km²) is land and 0.2 sq mi (0.52 km²) (1.66%) is covered by water.

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 5,640 people, 1,906 households, and 1,342 families residing in the city.

As of the census^[13] of 2010, 5,625 people, 2,325 households, and 2,129 families resided in the city. The population density was 555.9 inhabitants per square mile (214.6/km²). The 2,250 housing units averaged 238.1/sq mi (91.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.08% White, 20.42% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 7.39% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.76% of the population.

Of the 2,325 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were not families. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was distributed as 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,491, and for a family was $39,306. Males had a median income of $31,403 versus $23,491 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,324. About 12.0% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 23.0% of those age 65 or over.

The almost all of the city of Pontotoc is served by the Pontotoc City School District while a small portion of the city limits is in the Pontotoc County School District.^[14]

Pontotoc High School^[15] and South Pontotoc High School^[16] are in Pontotoc. The Pontotoc County School District, serving surrounding areas, has its headquarters in Pontotoc. They are two of the top academic schools in the state of Mississippi. North received the Blue Ribbon Award and South received Level 5, the highest rating for a school in Mississippi. The city's band was the Grand Champion in the state in 2017.^[17]

• Marshal T. Adams, member of the Mississippi State Senate from 191916 to 1924^[18]
• Terry "Harmonica" Bean, bluesman; lifelong resident of Pontotoc^[19]
• N. W. Bradford, former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives and Mississippi Senate^[20]
• Delaney Bramlett, singer, songwriter and musician; born in Pontotoc
• Nickey Browning, member of the Mississippi State Senate from 1996 to 2020^[21]
• Thad Cochran, former U.S. Senator from Mississippi
• Alfred Oscar Coffin (born 1861), first African-American man to earn a Ph.D. in biological sciences; professor of Romance languages at Langston University^[22]
• DeVan Dallas, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1964 to 1976^[23]
• Glen H. Davidson, senior United States district judge^[24]
• Borden Deal, novelist and short-story writer; from Pontotoc
• Ruby Elzy, pioneer black opera singer; played the soprano role of Serena in George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
• Lanny Flaherty, actor known for the role of Big Al in the 1993 film Blood In Blood Out.
• Wayne Flynt, former history professor and author^[25]
• Lee Gates (1937–2020), blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter^[26]
• Cyrus Harris (1817–1888, Chickasaw), politician; he was among the Chickasaw removed to Indian Territory.
• Mac Huddleston, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2008 to 2023^[27]
• Kent Hull, former NFL Buffalo Bills center; from Pontotoc
• Cowan F. "Bubba" Hyde (born 1908), Negro league baseball player who played for the Birmingham Black Barons
• William H. Inzer, justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1965 to 1978^[28]
• Cordell Jackson, guitarist; born in Pontotoc
• Estes C. McDaniel, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1964 to 1972^[29]
• Max Palmer, professional wrestler; from Pontotoc
• Romie J. Palmer, Illinois jurist and legislator; born in Pontotoc
• Steve Pegues, former Major League Baseball player; from Pontotoc
• R. C. Pitts, basketball player who played in the 1948 Summer Olympics^[30]
• James L. Roberts Jr., justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1992 to 1999^[31]
• Kermit Scott, professor of philosophy, once presumed to be the namesake of Kermit the Frog^[32]
• Wesley Walls, former National Football League tight end
• Jim Weatherly, singer, songwriter and musician
• Elizabeth H. West (born 1873), librarian and archivist^[33]
• Roger Wicker, U.S. Senator from Mississippi
• Thomas Hickman Williams, U.S. Senator from 1838 to 1839^[34]
• Thomas J. Word, member of the United States House of Representatives from 1838 to 1839^[35]
• Daniel W. Wright, justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1832 to 1838^[36]

• Tupelo National Battlefield

• Old Pontotoc Post Office