Edwards, Mississippi

Edwards, Mississippi
Town
Location of Edwards, Mississippi
Edwards, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 32°19′51″N90°36′15″W / 32.33083°N 90.60417°W / 32.33083; -90.60417
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Hinds
Area [1]
• Total	1.66 sq mi (4.30 km2)
• Land	1.66 sq mi (4.30 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	236 ft (72 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	995
• Density	599.40/sq mi (231.42/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39066
Area code	601
FIPS code	28-21580
GNIS feature ID	0669683
Website	townofedwards.com

Edwards is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,034 at the 2010 census, ^[2] down from 1,347 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The railroad station in 1936

Edwards is named for Dick Edwards, owner and proprietor of the Edwards House in Jackson, Mississippi. ^[3]

Edwards was originally named "Amsterdam" and settled in the 1830s. In 1832 it suffered from a cholera epidemic and was then bypassed by the Alabama and Vicksburg Rail Road. This happened in 1839 when R. O. Edwards' plantation became a stop on the railroad known as Edwards Depot.

The depot was burned to prevent its use during the Civil War in 1863. The current site of Edwards was chosen in 1866 and was incorporated in 1871.

In 1882 the Southern Christian Institute was opened by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the town to educate African-Americans. It later became Bonner-Campbell College. In 1897 Edwards suffered an attack of yellow fever that killed many residents of the town. ^[4]

Geography

Edwards is in western Hinds County, on high ground 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the Big Black River, which forms the Warren County line. Interstate 20 runs along the northern border of the town, with access from Exit 19. I-20 leads east 26 miles (42 km) to Jackson, the state capital, and west 17 miles (27 km) to Vicksburg.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Edwards has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km²), all land. ^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	586		—
1910	589		0.5%
1920	727		23.4%
1930	456		−37.3%
1940	1,110		143.4%
1950	1,002		−9.7%
1960	1,206		20.4%
1970	1,236		2.5%
1980	1,515		22.6%
1990	1,279		−15.6%
2000	1,347		5.3%
2010	1,034		−23.2%
2020	995		−3.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

2020 census

Edwards Racial Composition ^[6]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	109	10.95%
Black or African American	843	84.72%
Native American	2	0.2%
Asian	1	0.1%
Other/Mixed	20	2.01%
Hispanic or Latino	20	2.01%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 995 people, 404 households, and 193 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,034 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 82.4% Black, 15.4% White, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian and 0.6% from two or more races. 0.9% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census ^[7] of 2000, there were 1,347 people, 461 households, and 335 families living in the town. The population density was 808.2 inhabitants per square mile (312.0/km²). There were 505 housing units at an average density of 303.0 per square mile (117.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 78.92% African American, 20.19% White, 0.15% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.

There were 461 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.5% were married couples living together, 33.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.47.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 82.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,231, and the median income for a family was $31,786. Males had a median income of $26,094 versus $19,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,308. About 19.0% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Edwards is served by the Hinds County School District, and is zoned to Bolton/Edwards Elementary-Middle School in Bolton and Raymond High School in Raymond. ^[8]

Jackson/Hinds Library System operates the Lois A. Flagg Library in Edwards, adjacent to the Edwards Head Start Center. ^[9]

Notable people

• Rev. Carnella Barnes, pioneering African-American Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister
• Betty Currie, personal secretary of Bill Clinton, moved to Waukegan, Illinois as a child
• George Flaggs Jr., mayor of Vicksburg, Mississippi ^[10]
• Johnny Fuller, blues and rock 'n' roll musician
• Otis Harris, track and field athlete who won gold and silver medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• George W. Lee, vice-president of the Regional Council of Negro Leadership
• Fiddlin' Joe Martin, blues musician ^[11]
• Charlie Patton, blues musician and inductee in the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame; born near Edwards in 1891
• Melvin Powell, Negro league baseball pitcher ^[12]
• Aurelius Southall Scott, educator and newspaper editor ^[13]
• Norman Francis Vandivier, aviator

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Edwards town, Mississippi". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  115.
4. "Town of Edwards, Mississippi". Townofedwards.com. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
8. "attendance_zone.jpg." Hinds County School District. July 21, 2011. Retrieved on December 29, 2018. The map states: "High School Students from Zone 2 [Bolton-Edwards] attend Raymond High School"
9. "Edwards". Jackson/Hinds Library System . Retrieved 2021-06-10.
10. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register. Jackson, Mississippi: State of Mississippi. 2004. p. 112.
11. Edward M. Komara (2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues: K-Z, index. Routledge. p. 659. ISBN   978-0-415-92701-7.
12. Leslie A. Heaphy (5 July 2006). Black Baseball and Chicago: Essays on the Players, Teams and Games of the Negro Leagues' Most Important City. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 111. ISBN   978-0-7864-2674-4.
13. American Journalism. Salt Lake City, Utah: American Journalism Historians Association. 1989. p. 160.

External links

• Town of Edwards official website