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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Quitman County, Mississippi.
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Established in 1877, the county is named after John A. Quitman, Governor of Mississippi from 1835 to 1836 and from 1850 to 1851.
The county was developed for cotton cultivation. Much of the bottomlands behind the riverfront were not developed until the late 19th century, and population continued to increase as the frontier was cleared and cultivated. The county reached its peak population in 1940. Agricultural mechanization reduced the need for farm labor, and workers were recruited to northern and midwestern industrial cities.
Martin Luther King Jr. originally wanted the Poor People's Campaign to start in Quitman County because of the intense and visible economic disparity there. On March 18, 1968, King visited the town of Marks, Mississippi. He watched a teacher feeding black schoolchildren their lunch, consisting only of a slice of apple and some crackers, and was moved to tears.
After King's death, the Southern part of the Campaign began in Quitman County. Participants rode a train of mules to Washington, D.C. to protest about economic conditions. According to wagon master Willie Bolden, white citizens of Marks harassed the mule train on its way out of town. Bolden stated that they "would drive by blowing their horns, purposely trying to spook the mules and us." More recently, Quitman County residents have made an effort to promote tourism based on the county's role in the Poor People's Campaign.
Adjacent Counties
Cities, Towns & Communities
Allen | Barksdale | Belen | Birdie | Bobo | Chancy | Crenshaw (part) | Crowder (part) | Darling | Denton | Essex | Falcon | Hinchcliff | Lambert | Locke Station (part) | Longstreet | Marks (County Seat) | Oliverfried | Riverview | Sabino | Sledge | Vance (part) | Walnut | West Marks | Yarbrough
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