Roxie, Mississippi

For other uses, see Roxy (disambiguation).

Roxie, Mississippi
Town
Roxie in 2005
Location of Roxie, Mississippi
Roxie, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 31°30′19″N91°4′2″W / 31.50528°N 91.06722°W / 31.50528; -91.06722
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Franklin
Area [1]
• Total	1.76 sq mi (4.55 km2)
• Land	1.76 sq mi (4.55 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	240 ft (73 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	469
• Density	266.93/sq mi (103.04/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39661
Area code	601
FIPS code	28-64080
GNIS feature ID	0694621

Roxie is a town in Franklin County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 497 at the 2010 census, ^[2] down from 569 at the 2000 census. This rural town developed with the construction of railroads in the area. About 2/3 of its population is African American and 1/3 white.

History

Roxie was founded in 1886 on a plot of farmland donated by John Quincy Adams Graves, ^[3] who was the County Supervisor and a former soldier in the Regimental Band of the 4th Volunteer Mississippi Regiment during the Civil War. The town was named in honor of Graves' newborn daughter. ^[4]

Roxie was incorporated in 1890.

The town was located at the crossroads of the Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway and the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. Most of the early residents were employed by the railroads or worked in the logging industry and sawmills. ^[5]

Roxie's children attended the Roxie School, whose motto was Home of the Tigers. In 1962, the high school portion of the school shut down, and all students from grades 9 to 12 were bused to the new Franklin High School in Meadville. Roxie School continued for a few years after as an elementary school. ^[6]

Geography

Roxie is located in western Franklin County. U.S. Routes 84 and 98 pass through the town, leading east 11 miles (18 km) to Meadville, the county seat, and west 22 miles (35 km) to Natchez.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Roxie has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.9 km²), all land. ^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	214		—
1910	294		37.4%
1920	207		−29.6%
1930	355		71.5%
1940	385		8.5%
1950	521		35.3%
1960	585		12.3%
1970	662		13.2%
1980	591		−10.7%
1990	568		−3.9%
2000	569		0.2%
2010	497		−12.7%
2020	469		−5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

Roxie racial composition as of 2020 ^[8]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	170	36.25%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	291	62.05%
Other/Mixed	5	1.07%
Hispanic or Latino	3	0.64%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 469 people, 136 households, and 119 families residing in the town.

Recreation

Significant forests and recreation areas are found nearby, including:

• Clear Springs Recreation Area, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Homochitto National Forest
• Sandy Creek Wildlife Management Area

Education

Roxie is served by the Franklin County School District.

Notable people

Commemorative plaque honoring Richard N. Wright at Natchez

• Cat Iron, blues singer and guitarist ^[9]
• James Ford Seale, Ku Klux Klan member convicted of conspiracy and of the 1964 kidnappings of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, two young African-American men who were drowned by him and fellow conspirators.
• Richard Nathaniel Wright (1908 – 1960), African-American author of novels, short stories and non-fiction. Wright was the grandson of slaves, and much of his literature concerned racial themes, especially those involving the struggles of African-Americans during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries.

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Roxie town, Mississippi". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
3. ^[ dead link ]
4. Graves, John Seab. "Family History of William Henry Graves & Helena Marie Seab Graves". American History and Genealogy Project.
5. "History of Roxie". Rootsweb. August 18, 2005.
6. "Tiger Talk: Tidbits from Roxie School". Rootsweb. August 18, 2005.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. "Explore Census Data". Data.census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
9. "Classic Delta and Deep South Blues" (PDF). Smithsonian Institution. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.