Editing Pearl River County, Mississippi (section)

==History==
Pearl River County was originally formed as Pearl County in 1872 from portions of [[Hancock County, Mississippi|Hancock]] and [[Marion County, Mississippi|Marion]] Counties.<ref name="Pearl">{{Cite web|title=Welcome to Pearl River County on the Web|url=http://www.pearlrivercounty.net/|access-date=July 22, 2020|website=www.pearlrivercounty.net}}</ref> Because of low population density and a small tax base, Pearl County dissolved in 1878. Present-day Pearl River County was organized in 1890 by an act of the [[Mississippi Legislature]] utilizing the same land area as its predecessor Pearl County.<ref name="Pearl"/>

On the night of April 24, 1959, [[Mack Charles Parker]], an African-American accused of rape, was abducted from the Pearl River County jail in Poplarville by a mob<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Julius E.|title=Lynchings in Mississippi: A History, 1865-1965|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KL_eCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA169|year=2006|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476604251|page=169}}</ref> and shot to death. His body was found in the [[Pearl River (Mississippi-Louisiana)|Pearl River]] 10 days later. The [[FBI]] investigated and even obtained confessions from some of the eight suspects.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/parker.htm |title=Mack Charles Parker |publisher=[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040810064138/http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/parker.htm |archive-date=August 10, 2004 |type=index of investigation reports }}</ref>  However, the county prosecutor refused to present evidence to a state grand jury and a federal grand jury refused to indict. The case focused national attention on the persistence of [[lynching]] in the [[Southern United States|South]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Rushdy|first=Ashraf H. A.|title=The End of American Lynching|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cGrDSG-LcC8C&pg=PA135|date=June 18, 2012|publisher=Rutgers UP|isbn=9780813552934|page=135}}</ref> and helped accelerate the [[American Civil Rights Movement]].

On August 29, 2005, [[Hurricane Katrina]] inflicted heavy damage on the small town of Poplarville. The storm's most powerful, unofficially recorded gust of wind was reported at [[Pearl River Community College]], at {{convert|135|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}}. On September 2, 2005, the 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery (Ohio Army National Guard) arrived at the National Guard armory in Poplarville to assist the community and Pearl River County in recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Initial efforts were the security of banks, pharmacies and gas stations as well as initial responses to rural emergencies. The unit stayed for three weeks ultimately checking on every family and structure in the county. On September 5, 2005, Poplarville played host to a visit by [[George W. Bush]], [[Laura Bush]], and Governor [[Haley Barbour]] to Pearl River Community College in the [[Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Mississippi|aftermath of Hurricane Katrina]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050905-11.html |title=President Visits with Residents of Poplarville, Mississippi |publisher=[[White House]] |type=press release |date=September 5, 2005 }}</ref>