Inverness, Mississippi

Inverness, Mississippi
Town
Location of Inverness, Mississippi
Coordinates: 33°21′10″N 90°35′31″W / 33.35278°N 90.59194°W / 33.35278; -90.59194Coordinates: 33°21′10″N 90°35′31″W / 33.35278°N 90.59194°W / 33.35278; -90.59194
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Sunflower
Area
• Total	1.4 sq mi (3.7 km2)
• Land	1.4 sq mi (3.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	121 ft (37 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,153
• Density	800.4/sq mi (309.0/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	38753
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-35020
GNIS feature ID	0671715

Inverness is a town in Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,153 at the 2000 census. As the town had the largest cotton gin in the Delta,^[1] it served as a gathering place for farmers from the region when they brought their cotton for processing. The town was heavily damaged by a tornado in 1971.

Geography

Inverness is located at 33°21′10″N 90°35′31″W / 33.35278°N 90.59194°W / 33.35278; -90.59194 (33.352845, -90.591992).^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all land.

Inverness is about 90 miles (140 km) north of Jackson.^[3]

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,019 people residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 50.7% Black, 47.6% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian and 0.2% from two or more races. 0.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 1,153 people, 411 households, and 311 families residing in the town. The population density was 800.4 people per square mile (309.1/km²). There were 432 housing units at an average density of 299.9 per square mile (115.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 59.41% African American, 39.64% White, 0.78% Asian, and 0.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.

There were 411 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 24.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $31,912. Males had a median income of $26,429 versus $19,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,050. About 26.6% of families and 34.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.8% of those under age 18 and 39.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Central Delta Academy, prior to 2010, when it closed.

The Town of Inverness is served by the Sunflower County School District. Inverness School (K-8) is the sole public school in Inverness.^[7] Gentry High School in Indianola is the district's sole high school.^[8]

After desegregation began in Inverness in the mid-20th century, white parents withdrew their children from the white public school, which closed. The white high school students began attending a private school in Indianola.^[1]

Central Delta Academy was constructed in Inverness as a segregation academy, a private school for white students whose parents did not want them in the public school system, which was under federal rulings to desegregate.^[9][10] It closed on May 21, 2010.^[11] The building was auctioned off in 2011, and was bulldozed soon thereafter.

Colleges and universities

Delta State University, a public research university, and Mississippi Valley State University, a historically black college, are in the area.^[12]

1971 tornado

The small town was virtually destroyed on February 21, 1971 when an F5 tornado of 40 or 50 storms struck more than a dozen towns in portions of Louisiana and Mississippi. A total of 36 people were killed in rural Mississippi as a result of the storm. Twenty-one of the victims were from Inverness, where a broad section of houses were destroyed.^[1]

Notable people

Little Milton

• Mary E. Flowers – Member of the Illinois House of Representatives, was born here; her family moved to Chicago, where she grew up and went to college
• Boyd Gilmore (June 1, 1905 – December 23, 1976)^[13] – a Delta blues musician was born near Inverness
• Samuel Jones – Composer
• Willie Kent – Blues musician
• Little Milton – Blues musician
• Norris Thomas – Professional American football player
• Henry Gantz – Youngest coach to win the Mississippi Association Independent Schools Overall Title^[14]

Gallery

• 
  Mississippi Blues Trail marker in downtown Inverness

References

External links

• Inverness Chamber of Commerce

Municipalities and communities of Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States
County seat: Indianola
Cities	Drew Indianola Moorhead Ruleville Shaw‡
Towns	Doddsville Inverness Sunflower
Unincorporated communities	Baird Baltzer Blaine Boyer Caile Dockery Dwyer Fairview Heathman Holly Ridge Kinlock Linn Lombardy Minot Parchman Rome Roundaway Steiner Stephensville
Ghost towns	Cottondale Inwood Promised Land
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties