Tallula, Mississippi

Not to be confused with Tallulah, Louisiana.

Tallula, Mississippi
Unincorporated community
Tallula C.H. (Courthouse) on a map prepared by the U.S. government shortly after the American Civil War
Tallula C.H. (Courthouse) on a map prepared by the U.S. government shortly after the American Civil War
Tallula is located in Mississippi
Tallula
Tallula
Tallula is located in the United States
Tallula
Tallula
Coordinates: 32°46′46″N 91°06′52″W / 32.77944°N 91.11444°W / 32.77944; -91.11444
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyIssaquena
Elevation
[1]
102 ft (31 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID678549[1]

Tallula is an unincorporated community in Issaquena County, Mississippi, United States. Tallula was the county seat from 1848 to 1871.

History

Tallula is a name derived from the Choctaw language purported to mean either (sources vary) "bell" or "to break off".[2] The settlement was originally located on a spot along the Mississippi River called Tallula Bend.[3]

Tallula was the Issaquena county seat from 1848 to 1871. Runaway slaves captured in Issaquena were held in the Tallula jail until they were claimed by their legal owners or sold for jail fees.[4] In 1856 the sheriff of Issaquena County offered a $250 reward for the recapture of a "negro stealer" named John Guydon who "broke jail" at Tallula.[5]

The county seat moved to Mayersville, 10 mi (16 km) north, in 1871.[6] Over time, the changing course of the Mississippi "left Island No. 95 on the Louisiana shore, and Tallula Bend moved slowly downstream until the town of Tallula lost its landing and became an inland village."[3]

Notable person

Charles C. Diggs, Sr., the first African-American Democrat elected to the Michigan Senate, was born in Tallula.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tallula, Mississippi
  2. ^ Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. p. 105. ISBN 978-1-60473-483-6.
  3. ^ a b "Historic names and places on the lower Mississippi River / by Marion Bragg". HathiTrust. pp. 146–147. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  4. ^ "Committed". Vicksburg Daily Whig. December 17, 1856. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  5. ^ "$250 Reward!". Vicksburg Daily Whig. September 13, 1855. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (2005). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. ISBN 9780203997000.
  7. ^ Dillard, Angela D. (2007). Faith in the City: Preaching Radical Social Change in Detroit. University of Michigan. ISBN 978-0472032075.


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