Jasper

Formed December 31, 1833 (32^nd county)

Jasper County (16,370), Bay Springs (1,666), Paulding* (838)                

The red brick Modern facility was erected in 1975 in Bay Springs at 7^th Avenue and 6^th Street.  Mississippi State Highway 15 is two blocks to the east of the Bay Springs courthouse.  Charles P. McMullan and Associates provided the designs.  The 1972 Modern tan brick courthouse in Paulding is located on Mississippi State Highway 503 in the middle of this small community.  Charles L. Proper and Associates are the architects.  The Bay Springs facility has a nice park in the front.  The county was established on December 31, 1833 from Jones County as the 32^nd county with both Bay Springs and Paulding as dual county seats.  There was a 1905 courthouse in Bay Springs and a 1933 facility in Paulding.  The county is named for Revolutionary War hero William Jasper.  Bay Springs is named for a local spring flowing from a Bay tree.  Paulding is named for Revolutionary War hero John Paulding. 

Jasper 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.)  One Chancery Court Judge serves Jasper, Newton, and Scott counties, Two District Court Judges serve Jasper, Covington, Simpson, and Smith counties and a court clerk serves Jasper County (judicial.)  Jasper County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  One Chancery Court Judge serves Jasper, Newton, and Scott counties and Two District Court Judges serve Jasper, Covington, Simpson, and Smith counties.  Jasper County is in eastern Mississippi.  Jackson, Mississippi is northwest and Mobile, Alabama is southeast of the county.  The county center is 11 miles Northeast of Bay Springs nearer Louin.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Newton, Lauderdale, Clarke, Wayne, Jones, Smith, and Scott counties. 

The area of the county is 676 square miles.  It is 25 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 56 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 24.2 persons per square mile making it 59 out of 82 in the state.  Jasper County has 16.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 59 cuts the southeast corner of the county from Clarke County, east, to Jones County, south.  United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highway 59 from Clarke to Jones counties.  The county is a rectangle.  Bay Springs is on the southwest border of the county.  Paulding is in the eastern third of the county.  Bay Springs is one of the county seats and the largest city.  Paulding is the other county seat.  Bay Springs is 10.2% of the county population while Paulding is 5.1% of the county population although it is unincorporated.  This county is in the Laurel Micropolitan Statistical Area.