Alcorn County Cities & Towns

History of Alcorn County Postoffices
(Information taken from Alcorn County Family History Book published in 1985.)
The Cuba postoffice was established Feb. 19, 1891.  It was located north of where the Tuscumbia Baptist Church now stands.  The church was organized in 1856.  The Nichols family donated the land to build the church.
Abram Berry Nichols was one of the first postmasters.  After he retired, his son, Mattie Bruce Nichols, became postmaster and worked until about 1928.
The mail was transported by horse and buggy from Chewalla, Tennessee, the nearest depot, to Cuba.

Corinth - County Seat
Population (year 2000): 14,054
Land area: 30.5 square miles
Zip code: 38834

Corinth Tourism and Promotional Council 
Photos - On site


Danville
(Excerpts taken from the Alcorn County Famiy History Book published in 1985. This article was written by Mary Lena Mitchell Perry.)
 
The town of Danville was generally considered by early historians to be the first white settlement in the area.
Records state that the town started with a store operated by two men named Reeves and Fitch.  Later there was a two-story inn, a Masonic Temple, a tanning yard, blacksmith shops, several saloons, and an Indian Trading Post.  Not far away there was a Methodist Church and a school.
Danville was located on the old Reynoldsburg Road.  The most likely explanation for its location was the abundant supply of freestone water furnished by its many springs.
The place was at first called "Troy".  When the citizens of the town applied for a post office they found that there was already a town by that name so they changed its name to Danville.
The first Circuit Court of Old Tishomingo County was held in a small log house in Troy.
Danville was incorporated by an act of the State Legislature in 1848.
A Mr. Alstadt operated a large tanning yard about two hundred yards north of the man road through Danville.
Another thriving business located near Danville was a rather large whiskey still.  It used water from a free flowing spring located slightly above the still.  One of the first licenses on record was granted to one Thomas Brewster in Danville.
One report states that some of the early citizens of Danville were Alstadt, a tanner; James Hamlin, Allen Kemp, Dr. Brady, Dr. B.F. Liddon, referred to as a "beloved physician and preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ"; Dr. William A. Taylor and Dr. J. Marcus Taylor, who were brothers; and Judge Hezekiah Balch Mitchell, politician and surveyor, whose sons, Houston and Eli, were later active in the establishment and formation of the City of Corinth.  One account also mentioned C.B. Dilworth and Cody Fowler who represented the county in the lower house of representatives.
This little town prospered until around the 1860's.  It declined after the railroads crossed at what was later to become Corinth and the destructive occupation, dismantling, and partial removal of its store buildings, homes, etc., by the Union soldiers during the Civil War.
Following the evacuation of Corinth the Union Army shelled the little town for no apparent reason.  They then moved in and told the inhabitants to leave.  Almost all the buildings were log structures and it was easy for the invaders to dismantle many of the buildings and use the logs for stockages, etc.

Farmington Community (Extracted from the Alcorn Co. Family History Book published in 1985.  Original article written by: Patti Gates.)
 
In 1817, Congress admitted all the land of the Territory of Mississippi as the State of Mississippi and by 1832, the northern part of the state was safely within her bounds.  This area was within the limits of Old Tishomingo County.
The community of Farmington prospered, as did the Baptist
church. The physical prosperity was marked by a deed for incorporating the land surrounding the church into a town.  This was done by an Act of the Legislature of the State of Mississippi in 1838.  Prosperity continued so much that the town limits were increased in 1839 and again in 1842. 
Farmington Academy was chartered in 1839, to be set up within or near the Town of Farmington, for the purpose of the "encouragement of learning amongst the students".  Likely this was established on the site of the present church building, as in 1842 Thomas Dobbins gave deed to an acre of additional burying ground bounded on the west by the eastern side of the school property.
The town of Farmington now had within its area a church, several homes, general stores, a post office, blacksmith shop, saddle and harness shop and a wheat-fan manufacturing plant.
On February 5, 1849 a Masonic Lodge was chartered.
On May 3, 1862, a skirmish between forces of the Union and the Confederates was at Farmington; also, on May 4 and May 8, other skirmishes were fought.  May 9 brought full battle to Farmington.  The Union forces led by Major General John Pope and the Confederate forces commanded by Major General Earl Van Dorn was ready for battle. 
The battle of Farmington left as casualties for the Union-16 killed, 148 wounded, and 192 missing.  For the Confederates-8 killed, 189 wounded, and 100 missing.
On May 10, 12, 19 and 22 additional skirmishes were fought in or near Farmington.
After the actual battlefields moved away from Farmington, the area was used primarily as a hospital zone for the wounded Union forces from this and other battles.  Most, if not all the homes, sotres and shops of Farmington were destroyed.  The building of the church was torn down and used as flooring for the tents of the Union soldiers encamped on the site.

Gift Community
(Extracted from the Alcorn County Family History Book published in 1985.  This article on Gift was written by E.A. "Buck" Turner.)
 
One of the early pioneers was the family of James Jones.  They moved to Gift in 1855.
Mr. Jones gave the land for the Jones schoolhouse about 1894 after the Lebanon school burned.
Mr. Jones had the first cotton gin that would bale two or three bales of cotton a day and press cotton with mules.
Mr. Rob Smith had a grist mill and grocery store.  Mr. Bud Suitor and Mr. Barry Walker had a cotton gin.  Mr. Tom Jones had a grist mill and cotton gin.
Another grist mill and cotton gin was one located in this community and owned by two brothers, Tom and Sant Smith.
Glen

Hinkle Community (Extracted from the Alcorn Co. Family History Book published in 1985. This was originally written by Mildred Walker Sawyer.)
 
Hinkle Community, located in the southern portion of the county, has long been recognized as one of the more outstanding communities in the area.
According to abstract deeds of Old Tishomingo County, Jacob Hinkle took title to land in the area in 1836.  He was said to have been an outstanding citizen and an active Presbyterian and as a result of his prominence the community was named for him.  The creek which runs through the area is also named Hinkle.
This community supported three churches; Baptist, Presbyterian and Methodist for more than one hundred years.
Since the establishment of the community it has maintained a general store, a mill, a gin and for a numbers of years a sawmill.  In the early days there was a tannery on the creek.
The area boasted of a postoffice at one.  It was in the home of the late Dr. L.A. Hill and was in operation until about 1905.
Notable among families who have lived there are names such as: Hill, Ray, Dilworth, Savage, Curlee, Suitor, Gray, Walker, Miller, Holt, Whirley, Johnson, Green, Marecle, Bridges, Morris, Caldwell, Hughes, McCord, Taylor, Hudson, Farris, Henderson, Lucken, Bragg, Crum, and the list goes on.

Kossuth

Settled in 1840 as New Hope. Changed to Kossuth in 1853 to honor Hungarian Patriot Louis Kossuth. The home of Col. M.P. Lowery, founder of Blue Mountain College.
A skirmish was here during the Civil War.
Alcorn Agricultural High School was established in 1908; and became Kossuth High School in 1960.

Mississippi Department of Archives and History-1996

Population (year 2000): 170
Land area: 1.0 square miles
Zip code: 38834
Crum Mountain - One of Mississippi's highest summits. \

Kossuth, Mississippi Lajos Kossuth in North America