Raymond is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,933; in 2020, its population was 1,960. Raymond is one of two

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

s of Hinds County (along with Jackson) and is the home of the main campus of Hinds Community College. Raymond is part of the Jackson metropolitan statistical area.

History

In 1829, three commissioners, including John B. Peyton, were appointed by U.S. President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

to find a place near the center of Hinds County for the

. The current location of Raymond is a ridge about a mile from the center of the county, and was selected because the actual center was low and subject to flooding. The town of Raymond received its charter from the

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

on December 15, 1830. Because of its status as a seat of justice and its proximity to the Natchez Trace, Raymond developed quickly into a prosperous small town whose prosperity and small size have continued to this day. In the late 1840s, Cooper's Well, a property near Raymond with a well that provided sulphured water, was developed into a resort for those seeking the perceived health benefits from its ingestion. Construction of a new county courthouse was begun at the center of the town square in 1857 and completed in 1859; the work was largely done by enslaved African Americans. The courthouse is still in use as a secondary location of county legal matters (the city of Jackson having become the primary county seat). The Raymond courthouse is considered by many to be a prime example of southern

Greek Revival architecture Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

. The Battle of Raymond was fought by Confederate and Union soldiers near Raymond on May 12, 1863 as part of

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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 policies.J ...

. Four days later, the pivotal Battle of Champion Hill was won by Grant's troops and sealed the fate of Vicksburg. Grant stayed at Waverly, the plantation of John B. Peyton, and Union soldiers used St. Mark's Episcopal Church as a hospital. Blood stains can still be seen on the church's floor from that period. Construction of a water tower was begun in 1903 in the center of the town square. It and the courthouse are landmarks for the town. A small agricultural high school was opened in 1917; it developed as Hinds Community College, which has several sites and the largest student body of any college in the state.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,960 people, 361 households, and 202 families residing in the city.

Government and infrastructure

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Raymond Post Office. The Mississippi Department of Human Services operates the Oakley Training School in unincorporated Hinds County, near Raymond.Division of Youth Services
." Mississippi Department of Human Services. Retrieved on July 1, 2010. "2375 Oakley Road , Raymond, MS 39154."

Education

Hinds Community College has a Raymond campus. Residents are within the Hinds County School District, and are zoned to Raymond Elementary School, Carver Middle School, and Raymond High School. Jackson Hinds Library System operates the Raymond Public Library at the Hinds Courthouse annex.

Notable people

* Willie Banks, gospel music singer * Cory Carter,

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

punter * Stephen Head,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

scout * George Caldwell Granberry, former state legislator who served as postmaster of Raymond * Rick Lawson, gospel music singer * Muna Lee, Pan-American poet and first wife of Luis Muñoz Marín. * Kansas Joe McCoy, Delta blues singer * D. P. Porter, 25th Secretary of State of Mississippi * Susan Dabney Smedes, teacher and author * Jeremy Williams, American player of Canadian football * John Bell Williams, governor of Mississippi from 1968 to 1972, was born in Raymond.

Gallery

File:Cooper's Well, Raymond..jpg, Cooper's Well, File:Cooper's Well Resort, Raymond..jpg, Cooper's Well Resort, File:Hinds County (MS) District 2 Courthouse.jpg, Raymond Courthouse File:Raymond Watertower portrait.jpg, Raymond water tower File:Cain Cochran Hall HCC.jpg, Cain Cochran Hall on the Raymond Campus of Hinds Community College

References

External links

City website
* {{Authority control 1829 establishments in Mississippi Cities in Hinds County, Mississippi Cities in Jackson metropolitan area, Mississippi Cities in Mississippi County seats in Mississippi Populated places established in 1829