Quitman

Formed January 1, 1877 (74^th county)

Quitman County (6,173), Marks (1,441)

The red brick and concrete Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1910.  It is located on a square surrounded by Pecan, Locust, Chestnut, and Peach streets.  Mississippi State Highway 3 is three blocks west of the site.  The structure was remodeled in 1973.  Chamberlin and Company provided the original building designs.  The building features a small dome and a canon on the grounds.  There was an 1894 courthouse in Belen.  The county was formed on January 1, 1877 from parts of Coahoma, Panola, Tallahatchie, and Tunica counties as the 74^th county.  It is named for Governor John A. Quitman.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Clarke County.  The county seat is named for settler Leopold Marx. 

Quitman 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 Quitman, LeFlore, Bolivar, Coahoma, Tallahatchie, and Tunica counties, Three District Court Judges serve Quitman, Bolivar, Coahoma, and Tunica counties and a court clerk serves Quitman County (judicial.) The county is in northwest Mississippi.  Jackson, Mississippi is south and Memphis, Tennessee is north of the county.  The county center is 3.4 miles North-Northeast of Marks.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Tunica, Panola, Tallahatchie, and Coahoma counties. 

The area of the county is 405 square miles.  It is 79 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 80 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 15.2 persons per square mile making it 75 out of 82 in the state.  Quitman County has 59.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 278 travels east to west in the county from Panola County to Coahoma County.  Quitman County looks like a set of smokestacks.  Marks is located in the southern third of the county.  Marks is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 23.3% of the county population.