Shubuta, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Shubuta is a town in Clarke County
, Mississippi
, United States
. Shubuta was incorporated in 1865. It had become a trading post community in the 1830s, but it was not until the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
was signed under the Indian Removal Act
and the Choctaw ceded the land to the United States that the area was available for settlement by European Americans. Shubuta started growing more rapidly after being connected to other communities by the railroad in the 1850s.
At one time the largest town between Meridian, Mississippi
and Mobile, Alabama
, Shubuta attracted people from forty miles around to shop at the many mercantile businesses. The first record of the word Shubuta appears on Bernard Roman's Map of 1772, a copy of which appears in Riley's History of Mississippi. Riley wrote the name as "Chobuta", which means smoky water in the Choctaw
language.
The first newspaper in the area was the Mississippi Messenger, established by Judge Charles A. Stovall in 1879. The population was 651 at the 2000 census.
. These are listed in National Register of Historic Places listings in Clarke County, Mississippi
, which provides a map link locating them all.
Shubuta residents made history in Albany, New York
, where their residential neighborhood was designated an historic district. During the Great Migration
, in the 1930s a number of Shubuta residents followed Reverend Louis W. Parson to Albany, in the search for industrial jobs and better opportunities. They created a community to the west of the city, building houses along Rapp Road within what was one land parcel purchased by Parson. Now known as the Rapp Road Community Historic District
, the area is listed on the NRHP.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 651 people, 244 households, and 165 families residing in the town. The population density
was 271.0 people per square mile (104.7/km²). There were 270 housing units at an average density of 112.4 per square mile (43.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 25.50% White, 73.89% African American, 0.15% from other races
, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.
There were 244 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples
living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,438, and the median income for a family was $21,719. Males had a median income of $24,688 versus $17,813 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $9,094. About 38.5% of families and 44.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 59.4% of those under age 18 and 35.9% of those age 65 or over.
Shubuta is also the home of Mississippi Laminators. Producing laminated beams, the company has been in business in Shubuta since the early 1970s.
Clarke County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,955 people, 6,978 households, and 5,024 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 8,100 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Shubuta was incorporated in 1865. It had become a trading post community in the 1830s, but it was not until the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was a treaty signed on September 27, 1830 between the Choctaw and the United States Government. This was the first removal treaty carried into effect under the Indian Removal Act...
was signed under the Indian Removal Act
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
and the Choctaw ceded the land to the United States that the area was available for settlement by European Americans. Shubuta started growing more rapidly after being connected to other communities by the railroad in the 1850s.
At one time the largest town between Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
and Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Shubuta attracted people from forty miles around to shop at the many mercantile businesses. The first record of the word Shubuta appears on Bernard Roman's Map of 1772, a copy of which appears in Riley's History of Mississippi. Riley wrote the name as "Chobuta", which means smoky water in the Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
language.
The first newspaper in the area was the Mississippi Messenger, established by Judge Charles A. Stovall in 1879. The population was 651 at the 2000 census.
History
Six houses within Shubuta are listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. These are listed in National Register of Historic Places listings in Clarke County, Mississippi
National Register of Historic Places listings in Clarke County, Mississippi
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Clarke County, Mississippi.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States...
, which provides a map link locating them all.
Shubuta residents made history in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, where their residential neighborhood was designated an historic district. During the Great Migration
Great Migration (African American)
The Great Migration was the movement of 6 million blacks out of the Southern United States to the Northeast, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. Some historians differentiate between a Great Migration , numbering about 1.6 million migrants, and a Second Great Migration , in which 5 million or more...
, in the 1930s a number of Shubuta residents followed Reverend Louis W. Parson to Albany, in the search for industrial jobs and better opportunities. They created a community to the west of the city, building houses along Rapp Road within what was one land parcel purchased by Parson. Now known as the Rapp Road Community Historic District
Rapp Road Community Historic District
Rapp Road Community Historic District is a historic district in the Pine Bush area, in the western end of the city of Albany, New York, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. It is significant as a "rare example of chain-migration community resulting from the Great...
, the area is listed on the NRHP.
Geography
Shubuta is located at 31°51′39"N 88°42′2"W (31.860939, -88.700690).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 651 people, 244 households, and 165 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 271.0 people per square mile (104.7/km²). There were 270 housing units at an average density of 112.4 per square mile (43.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 25.50% White, 73.89% African American, 0.15% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population.
There were 244 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,438, and the median income for a family was $21,719. Males had a median income of $24,688 versus $17,813 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $9,094. About 38.5% of families and 44.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 59.4% of those under age 18 and 35.9% of those age 65 or over.
Industry
Shubuta was the second home of Hanson Scale Company, a bathroom scale manufacturer, later owned by the Sunbeam Corporation.Shubuta is also the home of Mississippi Laminators. Producing laminated beams, the company has been in business in Shubuta since the early 1970s.