Marks is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of
Quitman 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 ...
.
As of the
2010 census, the city population was 1,735.
History
The town of Marks was named after
Leopold Marks (1851-1910) who left
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
to avoid conscription by the German army. He arrived in New York in 1868. Marks, a Jew, became Quitman County's first representative to the state legislature and served for eight years. He encouraged the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad to come to the area by giving the railroad company, without cost, the right-of-way through his plantation plus of land. Leopold Marks' son Henry donated land to the town to be used as a cemetery.
The official "founding" of the town is considered to be May 12, 1907; on May 12, 2007, the town celebrated its centennial.
On September 26, 1913 a black man named Walter Brownloe, accused of attacking a white farmer's wife, was
taken from the town prison by a mob and hanged.
Marks was the starting point of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's
Poor People's Campaign
The Poor People's Campaign, or Poor People's March on Washington, was a 1968 effort to gain economic justice for poor people in the United States. It was organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (S ...
in 1968.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...
's ''
City of New Orleans'' began stopping at Marks on April 4, 2018. A
new station was built for passengers to get on or get off.
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 th ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
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 off ...
, there were 1,444 people, 699 households, and 425 families residing in the city.
2000 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 inc ...
of 2000, there were 1,551 people, 579 households, and 387 families residing 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 RosenberPopu ...
was 1,509.9 people per square mile (581.4/km
2). There were 643 housing units at an average density of 625.9 per square mile (241.0/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 34.62%
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 ...
, 64.67%
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 ...
, 0.06%
Native American, 0.19%
Asian, and 0.45% 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 for ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.
There were 579 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.0% 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 ...
living together, 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,521, and the median income for a family was $27,153. Males had a median income of $25,100 versus $16,985 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 $11,104. About 26.1% of families and 30.3% 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 ...
, including 39.9% of those under age 18 and 27.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Marks is served by the
Quitman County School District.
Delta Academy, a private school, is in Marks.
Notable people
*
Larry Garron
Lawrence Jr. Garron (May 23, 1937 – September 13, 2019) was an American professional football (gridiron), professional football player. A fullback (American football), fullback, he played college football at Western Illinois University, then ...
, Professional football player
*
Frederick W. Smith, Founder and CEO of
FedEx Corporation
FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...
*
Carolyn Stanford Taylor, Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction
Gallery
File:Valley Queen Missionary Baptist Church - Marks, Mississippi.jpg, Martin Luther King Jr. conducted a memorial service at Valley Queen Missionary Baptist Church in Marks in 1966. King apologized for not wearing a tie while in the pulpit, saying he had come to the area to lead marches and not funerals.
References
External links
''Re-enactment of anti-poverty march to begin in Marks'' -- Clarksdale Press Register, Aug 1 '03
{{authority control
Cities in Mississippi
Cities in Quitman County, Mississippi
County seats in Mississippi
Populated places established in 1907
1907 establishments in Mississippi