Pemiscot County is a
county located in the southeastern corner in the
Bootheel in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
of
Missouri, with the
Mississippi River forming its eastern border. As of the
2020 census, the population was
15,661. The largest city and
county seat is
Caruthersville.
The county was officially organized on February 19, 1851. It is named for the local bayou, taken from the word ''pem-eskaw'', meaning "liquid mud", in the
language of the native Fox (
Meskwaki) people. This has been an area of cotton plantations and later other commodity crops.
Murphy Mound Archeological Site
The Murphy Mound Archeological Site ( 23 PM 43), is a prehistoric archaeological site in the Bootheel region of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located southwest of Caruthersville in Pemiscot County, Missouri the site was occupied by peoples of th ...
has one of the largest platform
mounds in Missouri. It is a major earthwork of the Late
Mississippian culture, which had settlement sites throughout the Mississippi Valley and tributaries. The site is privately owned and is not open to the public. The site may have been occupied from as early as 1200 CE and continuing to about 1541.
History
Bordering the river and its floodplain, the county was devoted to agricultural development and commodity crops. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the major commodity crop was cotton, which was worked at the beginning mainly by enslaved African Americans.
After the Reconstruction era, four African Americans were
lynched in the area, all during the early 1900s and in the county seat.
["Lynching in Missouri"](_blank)
Saline County, Missouri/GenWeb Project This was a period of disfranchisement for African Americans, and included heightened violence against them by racist mobs.
[''Lynching in America''/ ''Supplement: Lynchings by County, 3rd edition''](_blank)
, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, 2015, p. 7
To escape such this mistreatment, many African Americans left the county in the
Great Migration, moving to big cities to seek employment. Also, with the mechanization of agriculture requiring fewer laborers, the county's population has continually declined since its peak in 1940.
Geography
According to the
U.S. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.1%) is water.
Fishing is a popular activity among residents in the area.
Adjacent counties
*
New Madrid County (north)
*
Lake County, Tennessee (northeast across the
Mississippi River)
*
Dyer County, Tennessee
Dyer County is a county located in the westernmost part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,801. The county seat is Dyersburg. Dyer County comprises the Dyersburg, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.
H ...
(southeast across the Mississippi River)
*
Mississippi County, Arkansas (south)
*
Dunklin County (west)
Major highways
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 20,047 people, 7,855 households, and 5,317 families residing in the county. The
population density was 41 people per square mile (16/km
2). There were 8,793 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km
2). The racial makeup of the county was 71.76%
White, 26.23%
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 of ...
or
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 enslav ...
, 0.25%
Native American, 0.27%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...
, 0.62% from
other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Approximately 1.57% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Pemiscot County were 31.9%
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
, 7.8%
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, 5.6%
English, and 5.5%
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
ancestry.
There were 7,855 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.00% were
married couples living together, 18.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 28.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 30.00% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,992, and the median income for a family was $33,945. Males had a median income of $27,476 versus $17,358 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $15,599. About 24.80% of families and 30.40% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 43.20% of those under age 18 and 23.20% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Pemiscot County is a part of the
Bible Belt
The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States in which socially conservative Protestant Christianity plays a strong role in society and politics, and church attendance across the denominations is generally higher than the nation's aver ...
with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Pemiscot County who adhere to a religion are
Southern Baptists
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...
(69.98%),
Methodists (7.56%), and
Churches of Christ
The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament.
T ...
(4.76%).
2020 Census
Politics
Local
The
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
* Botswana Democratic Party
* Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*De ...
historically controlled politics at the local level in Pemiscot County. However, the county has not been immune to the growing Republican trend in Southeast Missouri. In 2020, two Democratic incumbents switched parties, and Lisa Bowlby Sheckell (R) was elected in a contested election for the County Assessor. The Democratic Party continues to hold a majority of offices as of 2022.
State
The northern half of Pemiscot County is a part of Missouri's 149th District in the
Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by
Don Rone Jr.
(R-
Portageville).
The southern half of Pemiscot County is a part of Missouri's 150th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is currently represented by
Andrew McDaniel
Andrew McDaniel (born January 22, 1984) is an American politician. He is a member of the Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, represen ...
(R-
Deering).
All of Pemiscot County is a part of Missouri's 25th District in the
Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Republican
Jason Bean
Jason Bean is an American politician and farmer serving as a member of the Missouri Senate from the 25th district. Elected in 2020, he assumed office on January 5, 2021.
Early life and education
Bean was raised in Missouri Bootheel region. He ...
of
Poplar Bluff
Poplar Bluff is a medium city in Butler County in Southeast Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 census. The Poplar B ...
. The 25th Senatorial District consists of
Butler
A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some al ...
,
Carter
Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to:
Geography United States
* Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
* Carter, Montana, a census-designated place
* Car ...
,
Dunklin,
Mississippi,
New Madrid, Pemiscot,
Shannon, and
Stoddard counties.
Federal
Pemiscot County is included in
Missouri's 8th Congressional District
Missouri's 8th congressional district is one of 435 congressional districts in the United States and one of eight congressional districts in the state of Missouri. The district encompasses rural Southeast Missouri and South Central Missouri as w ...
and is currently represented by
Jason T. Smith
Jason Thomas Smith (born June 16, 1980) is an American businessman and politician who has been the U.S. representative for Missouri's 8th congressional district since 2013. The district comprises 30 counties, covering just under 20,000 square m ...
(R-
Salem) in the
U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
Jo Ann Emerson
Jo Ann Emerson (née Hermann; born September 16, 1950) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1996 to 2013. The district consists of Southeast and South Central Missouri and includes the Bootheel, the Lead Belt and ...
(R-
Cape Girardeau
Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citi ...
). Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.
Pemiscot County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the
U.S. Senate by
Josh Hawley
Joshua David Hawley (born December 31, 1979) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri since 2019. A member of the Republic ...
(R-
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
) and
Roy Blunt (R-
Strafford).
Blunt was elected to a second term in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...
over then-Missouri Secretary of State
Jason Kander.
Political culture
At the presidential level, Pemiscot County, lying in the
Missouri Bootheel (one of the regions in Missouri most associated with the
American South
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
), was powerfully Democratic from shortly after the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...
through 2000. From 1868 through 2000, it voted Republican only in Harding's, Hoover's, Nixon's, and Reagan's national landslides in 1920, 1928, 1972, and 1984, respectively. In 1968, it was the only county in Missouri to vote for George Wallace.
In 2004, George W. Bush flipped the county from blue to red, albeit narrowly, and since then, the county has solidified its standing as a Republican bastion. As of 2020, the county has voted Republican five times in a row, with the Republican vote share increasing in every election. In 2008, Pemiscot County swung the most Republican of all the counties in the state, as McCain improved on Bush's vote share by fully 6.2%, already besting not only Bush but every Republican to have carried the county in at least the prior hundred years apart from Nixon in 1972. In 2020, Donald Trump posted the best showing for a Republican in the county in at least over a century, with his nearly 72% exceeding Nixon's 70%. Similarly to other highly rural Southern counties in the 21st century, the Democratic raw vote total has decreased in every election since then as well.
As in most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Pemiscot County generally adhere to socially and culturally
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
principles, but are more moderate or
populist on economic issues, typical of the
Dixiecrat philosophy. In 2004, Missourians voted on
a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it passed Pemiscot County with 84.73 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters, as Missouri became the first state to ban
same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on
a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Pemiscot County, with 52.41 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters, as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve
embryonic stem cell research
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist ...
. Despite Pemiscot County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing
populist causes, such as increasing the
minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Pemiscot County with 78.01 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.
Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)
In the 2008 presidential primary, voters in Pemiscot County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally. Former
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and power ...
Hillary Clinton (D-
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
) received more votes, a total of 1,270, than any candidate from either party in Pemiscot County during the 2008 presidential primary. She also received more votes than the total number of votes cast in the entire Republican Primary in Pemiscot County.
Education
Of adults 25 years of age and older in Pemiscot County, 58.2% possess a
high school diploma
A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...
or higher, while 8.4% hold a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...
or higher as their greatest educational attainment.
Public schools
Caruthersville School District 18-
Caruthersville
**Caruthersville Elementary School (PK-05)
**Caruthersville Middle School (06-08)
**Caruthersville High School (09-12)
Cooter R-IV School District-
Cooter
**Cooter Elementary School (K-06)
**Cooter High School (07-12)
Delta C-7 School District-
Deering
**Delta Elementary School (K-06)
**Delta High School (07-12)
Hayti R-II School District-
Hayti
**Mathis Elementary School (PK-03)
**Wallace Elementary School (04-06)
**Hayti High School (07-12)
North Pemiscot County R-I School District-
Wardell
**Ross Elementary School -
Portageville - (K-05)
**North Pemiscot County High School - (06-12)
South Pemiscot County R-V School District-
Steele
Steele may refer to:
Places America
* Steele, Alabama, a town
* Steele, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Steele, Kentucky, an unincorporated community
* Steele, Missouri, a city
* Lonetree, Montana, a ghost town originally called Steele ...
**South Pemiscot County Elementary School (K-06)
**South Pemiscot County High School (07-12)
Alternative/vocational schools
*Diagnostic Center -
Hayti - (K-12) - Special education
*External Locations -
Hayti - (K-12) - Special education
*Oak View Learning Center -
Hayti - (K-12) - Special education
*Pemiscot County Vocational School -
Hayti - (11-12) - Vocational/technical
Public libraries
*Caruthersville Public Library
*Conran Memorial Library
* Steele Public Library
Communities
Cities
*
Bragg City
*
Caruthersville (county seat)
*
Cooter
*
Cottonwood Point
*
Hayti
*
Hayti Heights
*
Holland
*
Homestown
*
Portageville (mostly in
New Madrid County)
*
Steele
Steele may refer to:
Places America
* Steele, Alabama, a town
* Steele, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Steele, Kentucky, an unincorporated community
* Steele, Missouri, a city
* Lonetree, Montana, a ghost town originally called Steele ...
*
Wardell
Village
*
Pascola
Former village
*
North Wardell
Census-designated place
*
Hayward
Other unincorporated places
*
Acorn Corner
*
Bakerville
*
Braggadocio
Braggadocio may refer to:
*Braggadocchio, a fictional character in the epic poem ''The Faerie Queene''
*A braggart or empty boasting
*Braggadocio (rap), a type of rapping
*Braggadocio (typeface)
Braggadocio is a geometrically constructed sans-s ...
* Channel
*
Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
*
Covington
*
Cunningham
Cunningham is a surname of Scottish origin, see Clan Cunningham.
Notable people sharing this surname
A–C
*Aaron Cunningham (born 1986), American baseball player
*Abe Cunningham, American drummer
* Adrian Cunningham (born 1960), Australian ...
*
Deering
*
Denton
*
Gayoso
*
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:
People
* Gibson (surname)
Businesses
* Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment
* Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based
* Gi ...
*
Gobler
*
Hermondale
*
Ingram Ridge
*
Kinfolks Ridge
*
McCarty
*
Micola
*
Mid City
*
Netherlands
*
New Survey
*
Oak Ridge
* Oakville
*
Peach Orchard
The Peach Orchard is a Gettysburg Battlefield site at the southeast corner of the north-south Emmitsburg Road intersection with the Wheatfield Road. The orchard is demarcated on the east and south by Birney Avenue, which provides access tvari ...
* Samford
*
Shade
*
Stubtown
*
Tyler
*
Vicksburg
*
Yama
Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities. ...
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Pemiscot County, Missouri
References
External links
Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Pemiscot County from
University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
{{coord, 36.21, -89.78, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990
Missouri counties on the Mississippi River
Missouri placenames of Native American origin
1851 establishments in Missouri
Populated places established in 1851