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McComb, Mississippi

Coordinates: 31°14′40.10″N 90°28′17.73″W / 31.2444722°N 90.4715917°W / 31.2444722; -90.4715917
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McComb, Mississippi
City
Flag of McComb, Mississippi
Flag
Official seal of McComb, Mississippi
Seal
Location of McComb Mississippi
Location of McComb Mississippi
McComb, Mississippi is located in the United States
McComb, Mississippi
McComb, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 31°14′40.10″N 90°28′17.73″W / 31.2444722°N 90.4715917°W / 31.2444722; -90.4715917
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyPike
Government
 • MayorQuordiniah Lockley
Area
[1]
 • Total
11.84 sq mi (30.66 km2)
 • Land11.78 sq mi (30.51 km2)
 • Water0.06 sq mi (0.15 km2)
Elevation
423 ft (129 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
12,413
 • Density1,053.74/sq mi (406.85/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
39648-39649
Area code601/769
FIPS code28-43280
GNIS feature ID0673307
Websitewww.mccomb-ms.gov

McComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States. The city is approximately 80 miles (130 km) south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 12,790.[2] It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

19th century

A Steam Locomotive on Display in McComb

McComb was founded in 1872 after Henry Simpson McComb of the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad, a predecessor of the Illinois Central Railroad (now part of the Canadian National Railway), decided to move the railroad's maintenance shops away from New Orleans, Louisiana, to avoid the attractions of that city's bars.[citation needed]

The railroad purchased land in Pike County. Three nearby communities, Elizabethtown, Burglund, and Harveytown, agreed to consolidate to form this town. Main Street developed with the downtown's shops, attractions, and business.[citation needed]

20th century

The rail center in McComb was one of flashpoints in the violent Illinois Central shopmen's strike of 1911. Riots took place here that resulted in many injuries, at least three black strikebreakers killed, and authorities bringing in state militia to suppress the emergency soon after the strike started on September 30.[3]

During the 1960s, McComb and nearby areas were the sites of extreme violence by KKK and other white supremacist opponents to the Civil Rights Movement. In 1961, SNCC conducted its first voter registration project in Mississippi in this city. White officials and local KKK members countered it with violence and intimidation to suppress black voters.

In 1961, Brenda Travis, Robert Talbert, and Ike Lewis were arrested for staging a sit in at a Greyhound station. They were charged with trespassing and kept in jail for 28 days. Following their release, Travis was expelled from school. In response to the expulsion and the murder of Herbert Lee, 115 students staged a walk out on October 4, 1961, known as the Burglund High School Walk Out. At the walk out, many students were beaten by the police and arrested. Students continued protesting by refusing to return to school until Travis was allowed to reenroll. As a result, they too were expelled. The 16 seniors who participated were unable to graduate. Travis' fate for participating in the march was more serious. Travis was arrested, again, and sent to a state juvenile facility without a trial. After 6+1⁄2 months, Travis was released by the governor and exiled from Mississippi.[4][5][6]

After whites severely beat several staff members, staff members being jailed for their involvement with the walkout, and receiving backlash from the community for putting students on the "frontlines", SNCC pulled out of the region in early 1962. They moved north in Mississippi to work in slightly less dangerous conditions.[7]

In 1964, civil rights activists began the Mississippi Project and what would be called Freedom Summer, with teams returning to southwest Mississippi. They sang, "We'll Never Turn Back." SNCC members of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) returned to McComb in mid-July 1964 to work on voter registration. From late August 1964 through September, after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, McComb was the site of eleven bombings directed against African Americans.[8] Malcolm Boyd took part of COFO's Freedom House as a member of a clerical delegation to assist African-American voter registration.

The following summer, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 authorizing federal oversight and enforcement to enable blacks to register and vote again in the South. In Mississippi, most blacks had been disenfranchised since 1890. Even with enforcement, it took time to overcome local white resistance to black voting.

On January 10, 1975, during the Great Storm of 1975, an F4 tornado caused major damage to 38 blocks in the city, severely damaging or destroying many homes, businesses, vehicles, and trees within the town and surrounding areas along the tornado's track. The tornado killed 9 people and injured 210 others along its 56.5-mile (90.9 km) path.[9]: 10 

On October 20, 1977, a chartered plane carrying members and crew of rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in a swamp near McComb, killing lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Steve's sister Cassie (a backup singer), road manager Dean Kilpatrick, as well as both pilots.

21st century

In 2006, Zach Patterson was elected as McComb's first African American mayor.[10]

In 2018, voters in the city of McComb elected Quordiniah Lockley as mayor, and for the first time elected a city board consisting of an African American majority.[11][12]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.6 square miles (30 km2), of which 11.6 square miles (30 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.54%) is water.

Climate

The climate in McComb is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, McComb has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[13]

Climate data for McComb, Mississippi (McComb–Pike County Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 86
(30) 		85
(29) 		88
(31) 		95
(35) 		100
(38) 		103
(39) 		105
(41) 		106
(41) 		105
(41) 		99
(37) 		87
(31) 		84
(29) 		106
(41)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 75.6
(24.2) 		78.9
(26.1) 		83.8
(28.8) 		86.4
(30.2) 		91.9
(33.3) 		96.0
(35.6) 		97.3
(36.3) 		97.5
(36.4) 		94.7
(34.8) 		89.7
(32.1) 		82.1
(27.8) 		77.5
(25.3) 		98.9
(37.2)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 59.8
(15.4) 		64.2
(17.9) 		71.0
(21.7) 		77.0
(25.0) 		84.1
(28.9) 		89.4
(31.9) 		91.0
(32.8) 		91.1
(32.8) 		87.2
(30.7) 		79.1
(26.2) 		68.6
(20.3) 		61.7
(16.5) 		77.0
(25.0)
Daily mean °F (°C) 49.1
(9.5) 		53.0
(11.7) 		59.5
(15.3) 		65.5
(18.6) 		73.1
(22.8) 		79.2
(26.2) 		81.1
(27.3) 		81.0
(27.2) 		76.9
(24.9) 		67.5
(19.7) 		56.9
(13.8) 		51.1
(10.6) 		66.2
(19.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 38.4
(3.6) 		41.9
(5.5) 		47.9
(8.8) 		54.0
(12.2) 		62.1
(16.7) 		68.9
(20.5) 		71.1
(21.7) 		70.9
(21.6) 		66.6
(19.2) 		55.9
(13.3) 		45.3
(7.4) 		40.6
(4.8) 		55.3
(12.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 20.9
(−6.2) 		25.5
(−3.6) 		29.5
(−1.4) 		37.2
(2.9) 		47.9
(8.8) 		60.6
(15.9) 		66.3
(19.1) 		64.8
(18.2) 		54.3
(12.4) 		38.3
(3.5) 		28.9
(−1.7) 		25.0
(−3.9) 		19.2
(−7.1)
Record low °F (°C) 2
(−17) 		8
(−13) 		14
(−10) 		28
(−2) 		35
(2) 		46
(8) 		56
(13) 		55
(13) 		39
(4) 		27
(−3) 		16
(−9) 		4
(−16) 		2
(−17)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 6.40
(163) 		5.13
(130) 		5.51
(140) 		5.02
(128) 		4.55
(116) 		5.18
(132) 		5.95
(151) 		5.83
(148) 		4.30
(109) 		3.79
(96) 		3.91
(99) 		5.03
(128) 		60.60
(1,539)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.2
(0.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 10.5 10.3 10.3 8.5 9.2 11.8 13.5 11.9 8.6 7.3 8.7 10.8 121.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.3
Source 1: NOAA[14]
Source 2: National Weather Service[15]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18801,982—
18902,38320.2%
19004,47787.9%
19106,23739.3%
19207,77524.7%
193010,05729.4%
19409,898−1.6%
195010,4015.1%
196012,02015.6%
197011,969−0.4%
198012,3313.0%
199011,591−6.0%
200013,33715.1%
201012,790−4.1%
202012,413−2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
McComb racial composition as of 2020[17]
Num. Perc.
White 2,907 23.42%
Black or African American 8,762 70.59%
Native American 18 0.15%
Asian 144 1.16%
Pacific Islander 7 0.06%
Other/Mixed 317 2.55%
Hispanic or Latino 258 2.08%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,413 people, 4,478 households, and 2,210 families residing in the city.

Arts and culture

An annual Earth Day Fest organized by Pike School of Art – Mississippi is celebrated in April on the Saturday of or following Earth Day. The Summit Street Unity Festival is celebrated annually on the third Saturday in October. The Black History Gallery annually celebrates Juneteenth.[18][19][20]

Education

Almost all of the city of McComb is served by the McComb School District,[21] which includes seven schools: Otken Elementary, Kennedy Early Childhood Center, Higgins Middle School, Denman Jr. High School, McComb High School, the Business & Technology Center, and Summit Academy.

In addition to the McComb School District, the surrounding Pike County area has two other school districts: North Pike School District and South Pike School District. These districts collectively serve various parts of McComb and the greater Pike County area. A portion of the McComb city limits extends into the South Pike district.[21]

McComb also offers private education at Parklane Academy, a K4 through 12th-grade private college preparatory school located in the central part of the city. McComb was also home to St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, which provided classes from kindergarten through seventh grade until the school closed in 2014.

For higher education, Southwest Mississippi Community College is located just seven miles north of McComb, near Summit, MS. Notably, McComb High School is recognized as one of the 100 National Model Schools, highlighting the city’s commitment to quality education.

Infrastructure

Rail transportation

See also: McComb (Amtrak station)

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to McComb. Amtrak trains 58 & 59, the City of New Orleans stop here.[22]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. ^ "Mississippi: 2010" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. August 14, 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  3. ^ Industrial Relations: Final Report and Testimony, United States Commission on Industrial Relations. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1916. pp. 9714–9719. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  4. ^ Collier, Natalie A. "Better Late Than Never". www.jacksonfreepress.com. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  5. ^ "Burglund High School students walkout". SNCC Digital Gateway. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "Brenda Travis". SNCC Digital Gateway. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "SNCC leaves McComb". SNCC Digital Gateway. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  8. ^ Peter Cummings, "11 New Bombings Continue Long Legacy of Violence In Southwestern Mississippi", First of three articles, The Crimson (Harvard), 30 September 1964, accessed 11 January 2015
  9. ^ National Weather Service (January 1975). "Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena". Storm Data. 17 (1). Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center.
  10. ^ "Mayor of Mc Comb, Mississippi - Zach Patterson". U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  11. ^ "Democrat elected mayor as black officials win board majority". Associated Press. June 20, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  12. ^ "2 city ex-workers in Mississippi say they were fired because they are white". WDSU. Associated Press. September 14, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  13. ^ "McComb, Mississippi Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  14. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: McComb/Pike CO/John E Lewis AP, MS". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  15. ^ "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS New Orleans". National Weather Service. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  16. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  17. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  18. ^ "Festival to mark Earth Day with music, art". The Enterprise Journal. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  19. ^ "Food, music and fun on Summit Street". The Enterprise Journal. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  20. ^ "Celebration of freedom". The Enterprise Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Pike County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2024. - Text list
  22. ^ "City of New Orleans Train Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans - Amtrak". Amtrak.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  23. ^ "Bo Diddley". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  24. ^ "Mississippi Blues Commission - Blues Trail". Msbluestrail.org. Retrieved May 28, 2008.
  25. ^ "Bio page". Vasti Jackson. July 13, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  26. ^ "Va. theologian Albert Mollegen dies at Age 77". Washington Post. Washington, DC. January 23, 1984. Retrieved November 7, 2022. Dr. Mollegen was a widely-known apologist for classical Christianity to modern intellectuals and had lectured widely on campuses.
  27. ^ "Albert Theodore Mollegen". The Episcopal Church. Retrieved November 7, 2022. He was most noted as an apologist for liberal evangelicalism, and in 1947 he founded an association called Christianity and Modern Man.
  28. ^ "Obituaries: Barlow and Related Families". Baton Rouge State Times, March 12, 1990, p. 6-!. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
  29. ^ Herndon, Ernest (September 19, 2017). "McComb native's book could be eerily prophetic". Enterprise-Journal. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  30. ^ "Dan Tyler:Biography". Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  31. ^ "Charvarius Ward (CB): Bio, News, Stats & more".
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