Holmes

Formed December 31, 1833 (31^st county)

Holmes County (17,001), Lexington (1,603), Durant (2,224)

The classic red brick Romanesque and Queen Anne courthouse was built in 1894 and is on the city square at Carrollton Street and Court Square.  Mississippi State Highway 12 is Carrollton Street in this part of the town.  The building was restored in 1976.  Walter Chamberlain and Company are the building architects.  The structure features a working clock tower and veteran memorials.  A 1930 Records Building supports the courthouse.  Holmes County was established on December 31, 1833 from Yazoo County as the 31^st county with Lexington as the only county seat.  Its namesake is Governor David Holmes.  The county seat is named for Lexington, Massachusetts.  Holmes County was the birthplace for 1 Mississippi Governor, Edmond F. Noel. 

Holmes 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.)  Three Chancery Court Judges serve Holmes, Leake, Madison, and Yazoo counties, One District Court Judge serves Holmes, Humphreys, and Yazoo counties and a court clerk serves Holmes County (judicial.) Holmes County is in central Mississippi.  Jackson, Mississippi is south and Memphis, Tennessee is north of the county.  The county center is 2.4 miles Northwest of Lexington.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Carroll, Attala, Madison, Yazoo, Humphreys, and Leflore counties. 

The area of the county is 756 square miles.  It is 10 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 55 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 22.5 persons per square mile making it 64 out of 82 in the state.  Holmes County has 47.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 55 goes north to south in the county from Carroll County to Yazoo County.  United States Highway 49E travels north to south from Leflore County to Yazoo County.  United States Highway 51 parallels Interstate Highway 55 from Carroll County to Madison County.  The county is overall shaped like a diamond.  Lexington is slightly east of center in the county.  Durant is on the eastern border of the county.  Lexington is the county seat and Durant is the largest city.  Lexington is 9.4% of the county population while Durant is 13.1% of the county population.

West