McComb, Mississippi
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McComb is a city in Pike County,
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 ...
, United States. The city is approximately south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 12,790. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area.


History


19th century

McComb was founded in 1872 after Henry Simpson McComb of the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad, a predecessor of the
Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...
(now part of the
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
), decided to move the railroad's maintenance shops away from
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, to avoid the attractions of that city's bars. The railroad purchased land in Pike County. Three nearby communities, Elizabethtown, Burglund, and Harveytown, agreed to consolidate to form this town. Main Street developed with the downtown's shops, attractions, and business.


20th century

The rail center in McComb was one of flashpoints in the violent Illinois Central shopmen's strike of 1911. Riots took place here that resulted in many injuries, at least three black strikebreakers killed, and authorities bringing in state militia to suppress the emergency soon after the strike started on September 30. During the 1960s, McComb and nearby areas were the sites of extreme violence by KKK and other white supremacist opponents to the Civil Rights Movement. In 1961, SNCC conducted its first voter registration project in Mississippi in this city. White officials and local KKK members countered it with violence and intimidation to suppress black voters. In 1961, Brenda Travis, Robert Talbert, and Ike Lewis were arrested for staging a sit in at a Greyhound station. They were charged with trespassing and kept in jail for 28 days. Following their release, Travis was expelled from school. In response to the expulsion and the murder of Herbert Lee, 115 students staged a walk out on October 4, 1961, known as the Burglund High School Walk Out. At the walk out, many students were beaten by the police and arrested. Students continued protesting by refusing to return to school until Travis was allowed to reenroll. As a result, they too were expelled. The 16 seniors who participated were unable to graduate. Travis' fate for participating in the march was more serious. Travis was arrested, again, and sent to a state juvenile facility without a trial. After months, Travis was released by the governor and exiled from Mississippi. After whites severely beat several staff members, staff members being jailed for their involvement with the walkout, and receiving backlash from the community for putting students on the "frontlines", SNCC pulled out of the region in early 1962. They moved north in Mississippi to work in slightly less dangerous conditions. In 1964, civil rights activists began the Mississippi Project and what would be called
Freedom Summer Freedom Summer, also known as Mississippi Freedom Summer (sometimes referred to as the Freedom Summer Project or the Mississippi Summer Project), was a campaign launched by civil rights movement, American civil rights activists in June 1964 to r ...
, with teams returning to southwest Mississippi. They sang, "We'll Never Turn Back." SNCC members of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) returned to McComb in mid-July 1964 to work on voter registration. From late August 1964 through September, after passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
, McComb was the site of eleven bombings directed against African Americans.Peter Cummings, "11 New Bombings Continue Long Legacy of Violence In Southwestern Mississippi", First of three articles
''The Crimson (Harvard)'', 30 September 1964, accessed 11 January 2015
Malcolm Boyd took part of COFO's Freedom House as a member of a clerical delegation to assist African-American voter registration. The following summer, Congress passed the
Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...
authorizing federal oversight and enforcement to enable blacks to register and vote again in the South. In Mississippi, most blacks had been disenfranchised since 1890. Even with enforcement, it took time to overcome local white resistance to black voting. On January 10, 1975, during the Great Storm of 1975, an F4 tornado caused major damage to 38 blocks in the city, severely damaging or destroying many homes, businesses, vehicles, and trees within the town and surrounding areas along the tornado's track. The tornado killed 9 people and injured 210 others along its path. On October 20, 1977, a chartered plane carrying members and crew of rock band
Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...
crashed in a swamp near McComb, killing lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, Steve's sister Cassie (a backup singer), road manager Dean Kilpatrick, as well as both pilots.


21st century

In 2006, Zach Patterson was elected as McComb's first African American mayor. In 2018, voters in the city of McComb elected Quordiniah Lockley as mayor, and for the first time elected a city board consisting of an African American majority.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.54%) is water.


Climate

The climate in McComb is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, McComb has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.


Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,413 people, 4,478 households, and 2,210 families residing in the city.


Arts and culture

An annual Earth Day Fest organized by Pike School of Art – Mississippi is celebrated in April on the Saturday of or following
Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) includin ...
. The Summit Street Unity Festival is celebrated annually on the third Saturday in October. The Black History Gallery annually celebrates
Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States, federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the End of slavery in the United States, ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's n ...
.


Education

Almost all of the city of McComb is served by the McComb School District,
Text list

See McComb city limits as of the 2020 Census

2010 school district map
/ref> In addition to the McComb School District, the surrounding Pike County area has two other school districts: North Pike School District and South Pike School District. These districts collectively serve various parts of McComb and the greater Pike County area. A portion of the McComb city limits extends into the South Pike district. McComb also offers private education at Parklane Academy, a K4 through 12th-grade private college preparatory school located in the central part of the city. McComb was also home to St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, which provided classes from kindergarten through seventh grade until the school closed in 2014. For higher education, Southwest Mississippi Community College is located just north of McComb, near Summit. Pike County is in the district of Southwest Mississippi Community College.


Media


Radio

McComb is the principal city of the McComb media market for radio.


Television

McComb is part of the Jackson media market for television.


Infrastructure


Rail transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, the national passenger rail system, provides service to McComb. Amtrak trains 58 & 59, the City of New Orleans stop here.


Notable people

* Woodie Assaf, weather reporter, WLBT television (Jackson) 1953 to 2001 * Jimmy Boyd, singer, musician, and actor * Loy Allen Bowlin, outsider artist * John Brady, head coach of
Arkansas State University Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second-largest university in the st ...
men's basketball team, former head coach of LSU Tigers * Steve Broussard, NFL player for
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
* Adrian Brown, Major League baseball player with
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
,
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
,
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
and Texas Rangers * Jackie Butler, former NBA player * Cooper Carlisle, NFL player * Castro Coleman, blues musician * Jacqueline Y. Collins, Illinois state legislator * Corey Dickerson, MLB player *
Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...
, blues singer * Jarrod Dyson, MLB player * Omar Kent Dykes, blues singer and guitarist * James Govan, soul singer * King Solomon Hill, early blues musician * Vasti Jackson,
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
nominated electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer * Little Freddie King, American Delta blues guitarist * Maxie Lambright, football coach at
Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public university, public research university in Ruston, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and Carnegie Classification of Institu ...
, 1967–1978 * Robert "Squirrel" Lester, singer in soul music group The Chi-Lites *
John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
, Civil Rights activist * Bobby Lounge, blues pianist and songwriter * Sam McCullum, NFL football wide receiver * Albert Mollegen, Christian
apologist Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their fa ...
* Bucky Moore, NFL player * Bob Moses (Robert Moses), Civil Rights activist *
Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist ...
, singer and actress * Willie Norwood, singer, father of Brandy and Ray J * R. B. Nunnery, football player * Steven Ozment, historian * Edward Grady Partin, Teamsters Union figure, spent his last years in McComb * Tara Wallace, reality star * Glover Quin, NFL free safety, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans *
Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, television presenter, and actor. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother o ...
, singer and actor * La'Porsha Renae, singer, ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
'' finalist * Michael Farris Smith, writer *
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
, singer and actress * Bryan Spears, film and television producer * Jamie Lynn Spears, actress and singer * Davion Taylor, NFL linebacker for
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
* Matt Tolbert, MLB player for
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
* Brenda Travis, civil rights activist * Dan Tyler, songwriter, born in McComb in 1950 *
Charvarius Ward Charvarius "Mooney" Ward (born May 16, 1996) is an American professional American football, football cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders foo ...
, NFL player


References


External links


City of McComb official website
{{authority control Cities in Mississippi Cities in Pike County, Mississippi Cities in McComb micropolitan area Mississippi Blues Trail