Tippah

Formed February 9, 1836 (54^th county)

Tippah County (21,810), Ripley (5,463)

A basic red brick Spanish Revival structure built in 1871, renovated in 1928 and 1987, serves Tippah County.  It is located on a square with Spring, Main, Jefferson, and Union streets.  Mississippi State Highway 4 is two blocks south of the courthouse.  George W. Patrick provided the designs for this building.  There is a Veterans memorial on the grounds.  There were 1836, 1837, and 1838 versions of the courthouse all in Ripley, the only county seat.  A Chancery Court Building was added in 2000 by converting a 1957 bank building.  The county was founded on February 9, 1836 from Monroe County as the 54^th county.  The county’s name comes from the Native American for “cut off.”  The county seat is presumably named for a settler. 

The area of the county is 458 square miles.  It is 59 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 42 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 47.6 persons per square mile making it 33 out of 82 in the state.  Tippah County has 36.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 72 crosses the northern part of the county east to west from Alcorn County to Benton County.  Tippah County is shaped like a smokestack.  Ripley is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Ripley is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 25.1% of the county population. 

Tippah County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Two Chancery Court Judges serve Tippah, Benton, Calhoun, Lafayette, and Marshall counties and Three District Court Judges serve Tippah, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, and Union counties.  The county is in the northeast part of the state.  Memphis, Tennessee is northwest and Jackson, Mississippi is southwest of the county.  The county center is 7.1 miles Northeast of Ripley.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Tennessee and Alcorn, Prentiss, Union, and Benton counties.  The county is pronounced TIP-PA.