Bogue Chitto, Lincoln County, Mississippi

Bogue Chitto is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Mississippi, United States. No population figures are available for the community itself due to the fact that it is unincorporated, although the population of the zip code 39629, which includes Bogue Chitto and surrounding areas, was 5,924 in 2000.

It should not be confused with the other Bogue Chitto, a census-designated place located on the Neshoba/Kemper county border.

Geography

Bogue Chitto is located at 31°26'19.00"N 90°27'8.00"W. It is situated to the East of U.S. Highway 51 and Interstate 55 in Lincoln County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the zip code of 39629 has a total area of 161.83 sq mi. 161.62 sq mi of it is land and .21 sq mi of it is water.

Demographics

"The following figures are for the zip code 39629, which includes the community of Bogue Chitto and surrounding areas."

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 5,924 people, 2,209 households, and 1,709 families residing in the 39629 zip code. The population density was 36.7/sq mi. There were 2,480 housing units at an average density of 15.3/sq mi). The racial makeup was 80.87% White, 18.57% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

The median income for a household in the 39629 zip code was $28,986, and the median income for a family was $32,127. Males had a median income of $27,826 versus $17,644 for females. The per capita income was $13,268. About 13.5% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.6% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

Named for the nearby river, the Bogue Chitto River. "Bogue Chitto" means big creek in Choctaw. The phrase is used to refer to clear,swift flowing rivers as opposed to "hatchie" which refers to sluggish, broad, deep river. The pronunciation is close to the original Choctaw. It should be pronounced like boga chitta.

The following documentation was produced by the Bicentennial Community on August 17, 1976.

Bogue Chitto is a rural village, located some 67 miles south of Jackson, Mississippi, on Highway 51. It was settled before the coming of the New Orleans, Jackson and Northern Railroad. The first train came through Bogue Chitto, from New Orleans to Brookhaven, in 1856. Mr. Joseph Hart, Stephen Sasser and T.J. Gill were big landowners along the railroad who wanted the depot on their property. The site was settled when Joseph Hart offered his lumber from his water powered sawmill.

Bogue Chitto was chartered as a Village July 3, 1892 and was raised to the status of a town December 12, 1904. J. H. Curtis was lited as the first Mayor of the "Village" with P. E. Brister, F. H. McLaurin and W. I. Lewis as alderman. The first town officials were J. B. Bailey, L. C. Crosby, V. V. Busby, T. S. Heuck, and R. L. Brent. The town was declared unincorporated during the administration of Gov. Paul B. Johnson, Sr. Mr. Leslie Bolian was the last town Mayor and Mr. Sidney B. Spencer last town clerk.

The first known Baptist Church in our post office area was Mt. Moriah, organized in 1821, by John Bryan Hart and others. Mr. J.E. (Dude) Morgan states that his mother walked from Bogue Chitto to Mt. Moriah to church, about 6 miles. The present white Baptist Church was organized in 1885; the Presbyterian Church in 1889 and Methodist Church in 1890. Land for the cemetery was donated by John Z. and Emily Sutton, in a deed dated February 7, 1880. The oldest tombstone is dated 1870. The cemetery association was charted by an act of the City Board on September 3, 1907. All 3 churches used the cemetery as did some residents of Norfield, Mississippi.The oldest organization in Bogue Chitto is the Masonic Lodge #260 chartered January 15, 1866.

The Order of the Eastern Star #263 was organized in 1915 but reorganized in 1925.

The Bogue Chitto Garden Club was organized by Mrs. A.W. (Sue) Noland in 1922.

The Chloe Holt Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, was organized in September 1969 by Bonnie B. Cole with 27 charter members.

During the Civil War, "The Bogue Chitto Rifles Company" with Bob Charter, the school teacher, as Captain was formed. Joe Hart and Melt Brister served as first and second lieutenants.

Although Bogue Chitto is no longer the boomtown of the early 20th century, it still has a school, several churchs, truck stop, clinic, several stores, and a volunteer fire department.

Education

Bogue Chitto is part of the Lincoln County School District. The Bogue Chitto Attendance Center serves area students in grades K-12. The community's first school was built in 1924.

References

External links

*Herndon, Ernest. "Archaeology paper tells meanings of Indian names for rivers, places." Associated Press. 16 Mar. 2003.
* http://www.google.com/maps?q=Bogue+Chitto,+MS+39629&sa=X&oi=map&ct=image
* http://www.telapex.com/~rroberts/bctown/bchist.html
* http://lcsd.k12.ms.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=86