Carthage, Mississippi
| Carthage, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Leake County Courthouse in Carthage, Mississippi
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 Location of Carthage, Mississippi |
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 Carthage, Mississippi
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| Coordinates: 32°44′29″N 89°32′6″W / 32.74139°N 89.53500°WCoordinates: 32°44′29″N 89°32′6″W / 32.74139°N 89.53500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Leake |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jimmy Wallace |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.4 sq mi (24.3 km2) |
| • Land | 9.4 sq mi (24.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 351 ft (107 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 4,637 |
| • Density | 495.9/sq mi (191.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 39051 |
| Area code(s) | 601 |
| FIPS code | 28-11780 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0668123 |
Carthage is a city in Leake County, Mississippi. The population was 5,075 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Leake County.
The largest chicken processing plant in the world is located here.
Carthage was established in 1834, and became the county seat. The Harris family were early settlers, and named the town after their former home of Carthage, Tennessee. A courthouse and jail were built in 1836, and a post office was established the following year. Carthage was incorporated in 1876. A brick courthouse replaced the previous one in 1877, and was replaced again in 1910.The Carthaginian newspaper was established in 1872, and remains in publication today.
By 1900, agriculture was the primary industry in Leake County. The Pearl River, located 2 mi (3.2 km) south of Carthage, was used to ship goods by steamboat to and from Jackson, the state capital . Although a railroad eventually ran through Carthage, it did not play a significant role in the development of the town. In 1914, the Merrill Brothers Logging Company built a logging railroad from Canton to McAfee, passing through Carthage. The line was taken over in 1927 by the Canton and Carthage Railroad, which then established commercial service to Carthage. The railroad was abandoned in 1960.
In 1927, Jackson's Daily Clarion Ledger wrote an article entitled "Carthage is a Good Progressive and Enterprising City - Thriving Center of Leake County Holds Modern Benefits". By then, Carthage had schools, churches, an ice plant, two banks, a Masonic Hall, and a Coca-Cola bottling plant.
The population had surpassed 2,000 by 1964, and the town was reclassified as a city.
A large area known as the "Carthage Historic District", comprising commercial and residential properties of various architectural styles, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The post office and the Jordan House are individually listed.
When Carthage, Texas established in 1848, it was named after Carthage, Mississippi.
As early as 1948, Carthage began holding an annual "Tri-Racial Goodwill Festival", in which all citizens were included. Although the directors of the first festival separated whites, African Americans and Native Americans, this was corrected in subsequent years. The local newspaper reported that at the 1949 festival, "friendship and goodwill fellowship permeated the air".
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