Webster

Formed January 1, 1874 (72^nd county)

Webster County (9,924), Walthall (115), Eupora (2,093)

The tan brick Classical Revival facility once serving Webster County was demolished by fire in 2013.  It was constructed in 1915 on Carroll Street at Courthouse Square.  Mississippi State Highway 9 is one block west of the courthouse.  Overstreet, Spencer, and Paine designed the building.  The building was renovated in 1974 and 2004.  A county administrative building and jail are in Eupora where the county ran operations in 2017.  The new courthouse was completed in 2019.  The county was formed on January 1, 1874 from parts of Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Montgomery counties as the 72^nd county.  Greensboro was the first county seat until 1876 when Walthall became the county seat.  It is named for American statesman Daniel Webster.  The county seat is named for Senator Edward C. Walthall.  He is also the namesake of Walthall County.  Webster County was the birthplace for 1 Mississippi Governor, Thomas L. Bailey. 

Webster 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 Webster, Chickasaw, Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, and Oktibbeha counties, Two District Court Judges serve Webster, Attala, Carroll, Choctaw, Grenada, and Winston counties and a court clerk serve Webster County (judicial.) The county is in the eastern part of the state.  Memphis, Tennessee is northwest and Jackson, Mississippi is southwest of the county.  The county center is 3.9 miles South-Southeast of Walthall nearer Eupora.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Calhoun, Chickasaw, Clay, Oktibbeha, Choctaw, Montgomery, and Grenada counties. 

The area of the county is 423 square miles.  It is 66 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 69 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 23.5 persons per square mile making it 61 out of 82 in the state.  Webster County has 35.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 82 passes east to west through the county from Oktibbeha County to Montgomery County.  The county shape resembles a snubbed nose pistol.  Walthall is in the western third of the county.  Eupora is on the southern border of the county.  Walthall is the county seat and Eupora is the largest city.  Walthall is 1.2% of the county population while Eupora is 21.1% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced UE-PORE-A.