Westville, Simpson County, Mississippi

This article is about the unincorporated community in Simpson County. For other locations, see Westville, Monroe County, Mississippi.

Westville, Mississippi
Ghost town
Westville, Mississippi is located in Mississippi
Westville, Mississippi
Westville, Mississippi
Westville, Mississippi is located in the United States
Westville, Mississippi
Westville, Mississippi
Coordinates: 31°51′59″N 89°56′29″W / 31.86639°N 89.94139°W / 31.86639; -89.94139
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountySimpson
Elevation
420 ft (128 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID671358[1]

Westville was an unincorporated community in Simpson County, Mississippi, United States, located approximately 1.8 mi (2.9 km) southeast of Pinola. It is now considered a ghost town.

History

The settlement was named for Colonel Cato West.[2] Westville was designated as the county seat in 1824 and served to 1900, when the seat was moved to Mendenhall. In 1905, the seat was briefly returned to Westville, but was returned to Mendenhall the next year.[2] Westville was incorporated in 1836.[3]

The courthouse was built in 1827, but it was destroyed by fire a few years later. It was rebuilt in brick, and burned down again. It was rebuilt a second time, again in brick.[2] After the county seat moved to Mendenhall, Westville declined markedly. It was essentially abandoned later in the century.

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Westville
  2. ^ a b c Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Vol. 2. Southern Historical Publishing Association. p. 959.
  3. ^ Mississippi (1836). Laws of the State of Mississippi: Appropriations, General Legislation and Resolutions ... R.C. Langdon. p. 323.