Page Contents for Mound Bayou, Mississippi

Statistics & Facts

Location

History & History-related items

Government

Miscellany

---

Statistics & Facts

The Mississippi state capital is Jackson.
The population of Mound Bayou is approximately 2,222 (1990), 1533 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 715 (1990), 580 (2010).
The amount of land area in Mound Bayou is 2.275 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0.001 sq kilometers.
The distance from Mound Bayou to Washington DC is 871 miles.
The distance to the Mississippi state capital is 111 miles. (as the crow flies)
Mound Bayou is positioned 33.88 degrees north of the equator and 90.72 degrees west of the prime meridian.

Location

in northwestern Mississippi
Return to Index

History & History Related Items

Mound Bayou, Mississippi, was founded by an ex-slave, Isaiah Thornton Montgomery (I.T. Montgomery) in 1867. I.T. Montgomery was born to Benjamin Thornton Montgomery, who was a slave of Joseph E. Davis. Davis owned a plantation in Warren County, Mississippi known as Hurricane. Benjamin possessed knowledge of reading and writing which was encourage by Davis -- and Ben subsequently became proficient as a mechanic, machinist and civil engineer. He used those talents to advance his master. Ben later conducted a merchantile business and kept all records and accounts of his family and his slave master. I.T. Montgomery, born in May, 1847, learned from his father and his father's master, soon becoming the private secretary and attendant of Mr. Davis. Following the conflicts at Donelson, Belmont and the capture of Corinth, Davis and his stock and great body of slaves, went as refugees, to Alabama. Isaiah served in the U.S. services on the gunboat, Benton. He was at the battle of Grand Gulf, and saw Grant cross and assault Port Gibson, Jackson and finally Vicksburg. Benjamin Montgomery and the brother of Joseph Davis, (Jefferson E. Davis) entered an agreement of sale of the Davis estate, some 4,000 acres, in 1867. I.T. Montgomery moved to Vicksburg with his attention on the Great Yazoo (Mississippi Delta). After investigating, he opened a colony (in around 1886, numbered 600) and laid out the town of Mound Bayou, the L.N.O. and T.R. Railroad, lin Bolivar County. I.T. Montgomery went on to become a Warren County Republican Convention delegate. In 1888, he was placed on the Republican County Committee in Bolivar County.

Co-Founder of Mound Bayou and born in Warren County, was Benjamin T. Green, nephew of Mrs. Benjamin T. Montgomery, and cousin of I.T. Montgomery. Green's education consisted of public schools in Mound Bayou, Normal College, and Alcorn State College. He graduated from Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, with an A.B. Degree and continued on toi Harvard University Law School for his law degree in 1914. Mound Bayou had only six mayors in 75 years: I.T. Montgomery (1898-1902); A.P. Hood (served out Montgomery's resignation) and was the author of "Negro at Mound Bayou"; John W. Cobbs (through 1906); B.H. Creswell (1906-1919); Benjamin A. Green (1919-1960) - ; and Wesley Liddell, Sr. (from the passing of B.A. Green - 1961-1965)
Benjamin A. Green was the son of Benjamin T. Green. Benjamin A. Green ws the first child born at Mound Bayou and, as noted above, became Mayor in 1919.
Return to Index

---

Mound Bayou City Government

City of Mound Bayou
P.O. Box 680
Mound Bayou, MS 38762
Phone: (662) 741-2193 Mound Bayou

Miscellany

The city's diamond jubilee was July 12-15, 1962