Walnut Grove is a town in
Leake County,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, United States. The population was 510 at the 2020 census, a sharp decrease from 1,911 at the 2010 census, due to the
Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility
The Walnut Grove Correctional Facility, formerly the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility (WGYCF), was operated as a for-profit state-owned prison in Walnut Grove, Mississippi from 1996 to 2016. Constructed beginning in 1990, it was expande ...
being closed by the state in September 2016 because of repeated problems at the troubled facility.
It had been privately owned and operated since 2001 under a contract with the state Department of Corrections. By 2011 it was the largest juvenile facility in the nation.
Golden Memorial State Park is located east of the town.
History
Walnut Grove began as a European-American settlement in a nearby location, now referred to as "Old Walnut Grove". This area was developed as cotton plantations in the antebellum era. The town was incorporated in 1884.
A post office was established in 1854,
and in the early 1900s, electricity and street lights were installed.
The Jackson and Eastern Railway was completed from
Union, Mississippi
Union is a town in Neshoba and Newton counties, Mississippi. The population was 1,988 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Union is located at (32.571320, -89.118118). Most of the town is in Newton County with a portion extending north into adjacen ...
to Walnut Grove in 1923, and then extended to nearby
Tuscola, Mississippi
Tuscola is an unincorporated community in Leake County, in the U.S. state of Mississippi.
History
Tuscola is located on the former Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad and was once home to a cotton gin, three large lumber mills, and two general store ...
in 1925.
The town was surveyed at its present location in 1923. Two canals were built near Walnut Grove in the late 1920s to improve transportation. Walnut Grove received a telephone franchise in 1927, and was connected to the Forest exchange. In 1962, a sewage and water system was installed, and in 1966, natural gas was installed. In 1970, the town organized and trained a volunteer fire department, though the first fire truck was not purchased until 1974.
Walnut Grove's Town Marshal J.T. "Jake" Trest, was murdered in 1979. His killer,
Edward Earl Johnson
Edward Earl Johnson (June 22, 1960 – May 20, 1987) was a man convicted in 1979 at the age of 18 and subsequently executed by the U.S. state of Mississippi for the murder of a policeman, J.T. Trest, and the sexual assault of a 69-year-old woma ...
, was executed in 1987.
In 1981, William Grady Sims, was elected as mayor of Walnut Grove and was repeatedly re-elected, serving until 2012. He was one of the longest-serving mayors in the state. By 2006 the town annexed the property of the
Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility
The Walnut Grove Correctional Facility, formerly the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility (WGYCF), was operated as a for-profit state-owned prison in Walnut Grove, Mississippi from 1996 to 2016. Constructed beginning in 1990, it was expande ...
, which had been constructed nearby in the county in 2001. It added a large area and population of prisoners to the town. As the facility was privately owned, although operated under contract to the state, it made payments to the city in lieu of taxes. In addition, the operating company appointed Sims as warden of the prison in 2009. The company's payments in lieu of taxes for the prison constituted 15% of the city's budget in 2011.
State expansion of the prison population at this facility made it the largest youth facility in the nation.
In 2009, Sims took a female prisoner to a nearby motel and raped her. He was convicted of charges and sentenced to seven months in confinement.
[ Numerous investigations of conditions at the prison resulted in a class-action suit filed in 2010 in federal court against its management and the state. The federal government started a separate investigation by the Department of Justice. Sims resigned as warden. In 2011 he was indicted on two federal charges; in February 2012 he resigned as mayor under a federal plea agreement.]
In October 2011, he was ordered by the state auditor to pay "$31,530 for using city employees and equipment to work on private prisons in the area, including the one he ran."["Longtime mayor of Miss. town, William Grady Sims, accused of sexually assaulting an inmate"](_blank)
CBSnews.com, October 26, 2011; accessed January 30, 2016.
Geography
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 town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km), all land.
Cityscape
The community's town hall, post office, and library are in the central part of Walnut Grove.
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 510 people, 286 households, and 172 families residing in the town.
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 2000, there were 488 people, 215 households, and 127 families residing in the town. 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 610.2 people per square mile (235.5/km). There were 239 housing units at an average density of 298.9 per square mile (115.3/km). The racial makeup of the town was 57.38% 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 o ...
, 40.78% 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 ...
, 0.20% Native American, 0.20% 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 O ...
, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...
or 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 0.41% of the population.
There were 215 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,719, and the median income for a family was $27,981. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $26,000 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 town was $11,851. About 25.2% of families and 29.8% 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 47.1% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
The 2006 population estimate had 1,424 residents; this dramatic increase is due to the annexation of the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility and its inmate population.[Walnut Grove]
" ''First Impressions''. Mississippi State University, February 2008. 0 (3/21). Retrieved on August 14, 2010. "Looking at the MDA profile, the population growth is impressive (year 2000 – 488, year 2006 – 1,424). However, we learned that most of this population growth has been due to the location and annexation of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility." The continued growth through estimates for 2016 largely represented additional inmate population.
Economy
Marco Apparel, a clothing manufacturer, opened in Walnut Grove in 1984. In 2001, it laid off more than 100 employees. The city was struggling to survive.
In 2001, the privately owned Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility was opened in unincorporated county land after being constructed for private operation under contract with the state; it was designed for youth offenders of 18 and under in age. Originally it was considered a model facility. But the state kept raising the age of offenders who were incarcerated there, and some prisoners aged there, so the population included young men in their 20s as well as much younger youths.
From 2003 to 2010, the prison was operated by Cornell Companies
Cornell Companies (NYSE:CRN) was an American corporation that operated correctional facilities, contracting them to state and local governments. The company's headquarters were located in Houston, Texas. On August 12, 2010, Cornell was acquired b ...
, which merged that year with GEO Group
The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in North America, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the company's ...
. The town annexed the prison property before 2006, thereby markedly increasing its population. The prisoners outnumbered town residents by a two to one ratio. In addition to hiring town residents as guards and staff, the prison paid the city substantial amounts in lieu of taxes, with payments making up 15% of the city's annual budget in 2011. The facility was subject of many state and federal investigations and was closed in September 2016.
Government
The Town of Walnut Grove has an alderman/mayor form of government, with the mayor voting in case of a tie. City government is made up of six elected aldermen from single-member districts, a mayor elected at-large, an elected municipal clerk, and an appointed police chief.
The mayor is Brian Gomillion, elected in 2013, and the Board of Aldermen includes: Jerry Darby, Teresa Darby, Pamela Gill, Shantell Edwards, Cindy Jones, and Mike Johnson.
Education
The town is served by the Leake County School District
The Leake County School District is a public school district based in Carthage, Mississippi (USA). The district's boundaries parallel that of Leake County.
History
Medgar Evers, Derrick Bell, and Winson Hudson helped lead efforts for civil right ...
:
*Leake County Elementary (K-6)
* Leake County High School (7-12)
Notable people
* Thomas Norman Brooks, former member of the Mississippi Senate
The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol i ...
* Homer Casteel, Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
The lieutenant governor of Mississippi is the second-highest ranking executive officer in Mississippi, below the governor of Mississippi. The office of lieutenant governor was established when Mississippi became a state, abolished for a few decade ...
1920 to 1924
* Jerrion Ealy
Jerrion Zawasky Ealy (born August 19, 2000) is an American football wide receiver and running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss.
Early years
Ealy attended Jackson Prep ...
, National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
wide receiver
* Sue Gunter, Olympic silver medalist and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame; former coach of the LSU Lady Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
* Na'Taki Osborne Jelks, environmental scientist
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, and geography (including ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geo ...
* Edward Earl Johnson
Edward Earl Johnson (June 22, 1960 – May 20, 1987) was a man convicted in 1979 at the age of 18 and subsequently executed by the U.S. state of Mississippi for the murder of a policeman, J.T. Trest, and the sexual assault of a 69-year-old woma ...
, convicted of murder. Executed in 1987.
* Ken Lewis, former CEO, President, and Chairman of the Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
* Luther Riley, college basketball coach; grew up in Walnut Grove
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
Towns in Leake County, Mississippi
Towns in Mississippi