Howardville is a city in

New Madrid County ; french: Comté de New Madrid) is a county located in the Bootheel of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,434. The largest city and county seat is New Madrid, located on the northern side of the Kentucky Bend ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States. The population was 383 at the 2010 census.

History

Howardville was founded by Travis B. Howard, a prominent black educator and activist in the mid-20th century Bootheel region. A graduate of

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

, Howard was inspired by

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

's belief that land ownership was among the critical factors in lifting African Americans out of poverty. In the late 1940s, Howard purchased of land encompassing much of what is now Howardville, and sold off lots to displaced black sharecroppers. The city incorporated as "Howardville" in 1953.Amber Cox
National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Howardville School
Missouri Department of Natural Resources, 2017. Howardville High School, initially known as East Lilbourn High School, opened in 1958. After county schools were integrated in the late 1960s, the school operated as a junior high school until 1980. In 2017, the school was nominated for listing on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Travis Howard was the father of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player

Elston Howard Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929 – December 14, 1980) was an American professional baseball player who was a catcher and a left fielder. During a 14-year baseball career, he played in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball from 1948 t ...

, the first black player to join the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

.Howard family photograph
AfriGeneas.com. Accessed 13 October 2017.

Geography

Howardville is situated along U.S. Routes 61 and 62, just west of New Madrid and the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. The city of Lilbourn lies just to the north along County Road D, and Marston to the south along US 61. New Madrid County Central High School and New Madrid County Central Middle School are located between Howardville and New Madrid. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 383 people, 160 households, and 101 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 192 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 5.74%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 92.43%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.04%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and 0.78% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.52% of the population. There were 160 households, of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 38.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.9% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age in the city was 29.7 years. 33.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 11% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 18.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 41.3% male and 58.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 342 people, 133 households, and 88 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 158 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 7.02%

, 92.40%

, and 0.58% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.46% of the population. There were 133 households, out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 18.8% were

living together, 39.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.23. In the city the population was spread out, with 33.9% under the age of 18, 13.2% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $9,671, and the median income for a family was $11,389. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $16,023 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $6,588. About 63.0% of families and 58.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 69.4% of those under age 18 and 73.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in New Madrid County, Missouri Cities in Missouri