Tallahatchie

Formed December 31, 1833 (41^st county)

Tallahatchie County (28,066), Charleston (1,882), Sumner (276), Tutwiler (2,840)

The Charleston tan brick Modern Classical Revival courthouse was constructed in 1974.  It replaced the 1900 courthouse.  The Sumner Romanesque Revival facility was erected in 1910 to replace the destroyed 1902 courthouse.  The Charleston courthouse is in a square on Main Street between Market and Panola streets.  Mississippi State Highway 32 is Main Street in the town.  It features columns and a Veterans memorial.  The Sumner courthouse is also on a square surrounded by East, South, West and North Court streets.  United States Highway 49 passes four blocks to the west.  It features a tower and was renovated in 1973.  Charleston’s facility was designed by Brewer, Godbold and Associates.  William S. Hull designed the brown brick Sumner courthouse.  The county was created on December 31, 1833 from parts of Washington and Yazoo counties as the 41^st county.  Charleston has always been a county seat and Sumner joined in 1902 as the dual county seat.  The county’s name is Native American for “rock of waters.”  Charleston is named for Charleston, South Carolina.  Sumner is named for founder J. B. Sumner. 

The area of the county is 644 square miles.  It is 27 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 32 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 43.6 persons per square mile making it 42 out of 82 in the state.  Tallahatchie County has 18.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 49 enters the county from the northwest, Coahoma County and splits into East and West.  United States Highway 49 East continues southeast to Leflore County.  United States Highway 49 West goes southwest into Sunflower County.  The county looks like a dog’s head.  Charleston is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Sumner is in the western quarter of the county.  Tutwiler is in the northwest corner of the county.  Charleston is one of the county seats and Sumner is the other county seat.  Tutwiler is the largest city.  Charleston is 6.7% of the county population while Sumner is 1.0% of the county population.  Tutwiler is 8.8% of the county population. 

Tallahatchie 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 Tallahatchie, Bolivar, Coahoma, LeFlore, Quitman, and Tunica counties, Four District Court Judges serve Tallahatchie, DeSoto, Panola, Tate, and Yalobusha counties and a court clerk serves Tallahatchie County (judicial.) The county is in northwest Mississippi.  Memphis, Tennessee is north and Jackson, Mississippi is south of the county.  The county center is 15.5 miles Southwest of Charleston nearer Tippo.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Panola, Yalobusha, Grenada, Leflore, Sunflower, Coahoma, and Quitman counties.  The county is pronounced TAL-A-HAT-CEE.