Greene

Formed January 1, 1811 (9^th county)

Greene County (13,533), Leakesville (3,779)

1939 was the construction year of the tan brick and masonry Art Deco and Art Modern structure.  There was an 1899 courthouse earlier.  Landry and Matthes were the architects.  The courthouse grounds feature veterans’ memorials and a tank.  A Justice Center was added in 2010.  The county was organized on January 1, 1811 from Wayne County as the 9^th county.  Boise Bluff was the first county seat until 1827 when Leakesville became the county seat.  The current version is on Main Street at Lafayette Street.  Mississippi State Highway 57 is Main Street.  The county is named for Revolutionary War hero General Nathanial Greene.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Washington County.  The county seat is named for Governor Walter Leake.  He is also the namesake of Leake County. 

Greene County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Four Chancery Court Judges and Three District Court Judges serve Greene, George, and Jackson counties and a court clerk serves Greene County (judicial.) The county is in the southeast part of the state.  Jackson, Mississippi is northwest and Mobile, Alabama is southeast of the county.  The county center is 9 miles Northwest of Leakesville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wayne County and Alabama and George and Perry counties. 

The area of the county is 713 square miles.  It is 16 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 60 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 19.0 persons per square mile making it 68 out of 82 in the state.  Greene County has 32.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 98 cuts the southwest corner of the county from Perry County, west to George County, south.  The county is a rectangle.  Leakesville is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Leakesville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 27.9% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced LEEKS-VIL.