Harperville was named for G. W. Harper, a European-American settler.[6]
In October 1898, a white mob retaliated for African Americans resisting arrest. The county sheriff gathered a posse, and the governor asked for National Guard support. Governor Anselm J. McLaurin went by train to Forest to assess the situation.[7] After arresting several blacks, the sheriff took them to the county seat at Forest for their safety.[8] The New Orleans Picayune reported that 11 blacks and one white had been killed."[8]
Harperville CDP, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
^"Fierce Race War in Mississippi", San Francisco Call, Volume 84, Number 146, 24 October 1898; California Digital Newspaper Collection; accessed 19 March 2017