kids encyclopedia robot

Mendenhall, Mississippi facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Mendenhall, Mississippi
Downtown Mendenhall in April 2014; the Simpson County Courthouse is seen in the background.
Downtown Mendenhall in April 2014; the Simpson County Courthouse is seen in the background.
Location of Mendenhall, Mississippi
Location of Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mendenhall, Mississippi is located in the United States
Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mendenhall, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Simpson
Government
 • Type Mayor-Council
Area
 • Total 5.36 sq mi (13.89 km2)
 • Land 5.35 sq mi (13.85 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation
335 ft (102 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 2,504
 • Estimate 
(2019)
2,387
 • Density 446.34/sq mi (172.32/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code
39114
Area code(s) 601
FIPS code 28-46600
GNIS feature ID 0673476

Mendenhall is a city in Simpson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,504 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Simpson County. Mendenhall is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mendenhall has one of the highest trained volunteer fire depts in the area. Mendenhall has 1 full-time fire marshall. Of the 30 members 17 are NFPA 1001 Base certified, 2 are NFPA 1001-2 certified, 1 paramedic and 8 emt's, 4 are first responder certified. Mendenhall has 3 class A pumpers with 1 being a dual purpose engine that has equipment for rescue and medical calls, 1 3,000 gallon tanker, 1 custom brush truck. Mendenhall carries a class 6 fire rating.

History

Mendenhall was originally called Edna, to honor the wife of developer Phillip Didlake, but a town with that name already existed, so the city had its name changed to Mendenhall to honor Thomas Mendenhall, a citizen and lawyer from Westville, Mississippi. Mendenhall is the county seat of Simpson County. The Simpson County Courthouse was built in 1907 by architect Andrew J. Byron. Mendenhall Public School mascot is the Tigers. Also located in Mendenhall is Simpson County Academy. The school mascot is the Cougars. Mendenhall's zip code is 39114.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (14 km2), of which, 5.3 square miles (14 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.37%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 606
1920 637 5.1%
1930 919 44.3%
1940 1,282 39.5%
1950 1,539 20.0%
1960 1,946 26.4%
1970 2,402 23.4%
1980 2,533 5.5%
1990 2,463 −2.8%
2000 2,555 3.7%
2010 2,504 −2.0%
2019 (est.) 2,387 −4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Mendenhall racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 1,348 61.3%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 743 33.79%
Native American 2 0.09%
Asian 3 0.14%
Other/Mixed 74 3.37%
Hispanic or Latino 29 1.32%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,199 people, 1,024 households, and 641 families residing in the city.

Entertainment attractions

Simpson County Mississippi Courthouse
Simpson County Courthouse. Photo by Calvin Beale.

Mendenhall had a movie theatre called the Star Theatre, built by Edgar French, Ben Slay and Lonnie Burnham. Located on Main Street, the building boasted a 1 screen auditorium complete with balcony. It also featured a pool hall and three offices upstairs, one of which housed the city's Chamber of Commerce.

The Star Theatre opened for business on November 9, 1938 with the western, Born to the West.The price of admission was 11 cents and a box of popcorn was a dime. A man from Prentiss was initially hired to run the theatre, but he was soon "sent packing" and Edgar French informed his son, George Lewis French, that "You're taking over that picture show." Lewis French, who had worked in his father's ice plant growing up and was trained as a bookkeeper at Clarks Commercial College in Jackson, had no experience in running a movie theatre. He went to New Orleans to learn how to book movies and run the projection equipment. Aside from time spent serving in Europe as a radio man during World War II, French continued to operate the Star Theatre until he decided to close it in 1971.

During the late 1960s, the Star Theatre had problems with vandalism and growing racial tensions among its young patrons who objected to maintaining segregation. Under Jim Crow customs, black customers were required to sit in the segregated balcony and wanted this changed after national legislation to end such practices. In October 1979, a newly remodeled and fully integrated Star Theatre reopened under the ownership of Danny Collins, a young local entrepreneur. Its first movie was the Chuck Norris', A Force of One. The theatre enjoyed revived popularity until competition from video arcades and cable TV forced Collins to close some three years later.

The Star Theatre was repainted when used as a location for the film My Dog Skip. Heavy rains caused the roof to collapse in April 2008. The theatre burnt down in 2016.

Notable people

  • Pauline Braddy, drummer
  • Larry Hardy, professional football player
  • Stephen Hobbs, professional football player
  • John M. Perkins, civil rights activist
  • Paul Ramsey, Christian ethicist
  • Martinas Rankin, professional football player

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mendenhall para niños

kids search engine
Mendenhall, Mississippi Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.