Quitman is a city in and the county seat of Clarke County, Mississippi, United States, along the Chickasawhay River. As of the 2020 census, Quitman had a population of 2,061. History Quitman was established in 1839 and named as the county seat.
During the Civil War, a hospital built with funds raised in Galveston and Houston, among other places, was built there for the care of Confederate soldiers from Texas. Originally staffed by Louis Bryan with supplies purchased in Mexico, he was joined, and later supplanted, by Enos Bonney, a surgeon from Enterprise, Mississippi, who stayed until the hospital was burned down. Though it cared for troops from any state, the hospital was colloquially known as "The Texas Hospital." Wounded soldiers from the Second Battle of Corinth, Battle of Iuka, Battle of Jackson, Tennessee, and more local engagements, as well as those suffering from wartime diseases, were treated at the hospital. A cemetery was established adjacent to the hospital for those who succumbed to disease or wounds.
During General Sherman's Meridian Campaign, Brigadier General Walter Q. Gresham, Commander of the Third Brigade, Fourth Division, 17th Army Corps, was detached and sent to Quitman to destroy bridges crossing the Chickasawhay river and through Alligator Swamp, as well as any other infrastructure that could be of any use to the Confederacy.Sherman's Forgotten Campaign, M. Bearss The force arrived at Quitman and proceeded to burn the town jail, courthouse, various stores, the railroad depot, and the Methodist Church, which was being used as a hospital.No.33 Report of Brig. General Walter Q. Gresham, Official Records of the War of the Rebellion Volume XXXII/1 p. 247 Troops then burned down the entire Texas Hospital complex, which included two main buildings as well as twelve to fifteen barracks. The hospital was never rebuilt.
Quitman was officially recognized by the Mississippi Legislature on February 13, 1839, and was named for the second Chancellor of the State, Gen. John A. Quitman, a strongly pro-slavery politician, leading Fire Eater, veteran of the Mexican–American War.
Geography Quitman is located near the center of Clarke County. Mississippi Highway 18 passes through the center of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 12.28%, is water.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Quitman had a population of 2,061. The median age was 46.7 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 80.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 77.0 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 891 households in Quitman, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.5% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 619 families residing in the city.
There were 1,037 housing units, of which 14.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.8%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 1,189 57.7% Black or African American 760 36.9% American Indian and Alaska Native 10 0.5% Asian 4 0.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.0% Some other race 14 0.7% Two or more races 84 4.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 28 1.4% Education The city is served by the Quitman School District. - Text list
The county is in the zone for Jones College.
Notable people Andy Blakeney, jazz trumpeter Wyatt Emory Cooper, writer Oscar W. Gillespie, U.S. Representative for the state of Texas Dustin J. Lee, Corporal in the United States Marine Corps who was killed in Fallujah, Iraq Sam C. Massingale, American politician and a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma Kelly McCarty, former NBA player Antonio McDyess, former NBA power forward Tarvarius Moore, NFL defensive back Aubrey Rozzell, former National Football League linebacker Homer Smith, Jr, journalist Samuel H. Terral, Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1897 to 1903 James Yates (activist), labor organizer, political activist, and veteran of the Spanish Civil War
See also Quitman Depot
References