Editing Pelahatchie, Mississippi (section)

==History==
Pelahatchie was founded in 1850, and named after [[Pelahatchie Creek]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Baca|first=Keith A.|title=Native American Place Names in Mississippi|url=https://epdf.pub/native-american-place-names-in-mississippi.html|year=2007|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-60473-483-6|page=81}}</ref>
The name Pelahatchie is derived from the Native American term meaning "crooked creek". The town was the bright spot in the county during the late 1800s mainly due to the railroad access in the heart of town. 
Pelahatchie is home to both a public school, Pelahatchie Attendance Center (Chiefs), and a private school, East Rankin Academy (Patriots).

In June 2017, Ryshonda Harper Beechem was elected as mayor, the first African-American mayor in Rankin County.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Jimmie E. |last=Gates |authorlink=   |title=  Meet the first African-American mayor in this Mississippi county |newspaper=[[Mississippi Clarion Ledger]]|date=June 14, 2017 |url= https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/06/14/first-african-american-mayor-majority-white-pelahatchie/392393001/ |via=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> In June 2021, she was defeated in the general election by Karl VanHorn.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Angela |last=Williams |authorlink=   |title= Karl VanHorn defeats Ryshonda Harper Beechem to become Pelahatchie mayor |newspaper=[[WAPT]]|date=June 9, 2021 |url= https://www.wapt.com/article/karl-vanhorn-defeats-ryshonda-harper-beechem-to-become-pelahatchie-mayor/36667236|via=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref>