Editing Inverness, Mississippi

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Inverness, Mississippi
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|motto                    =
|image_skyline            = Welcome To Inverness sign.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               = Flag of Inverness, Mississippi.png
|image_seal               =
|image_map = Sunflower_County_Mississippi_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Inverness_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Inverness, Mississippi
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Mississippi]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Mississippi|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Sunflower County, Mississippi|Sunflower]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_28.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 3.73
|area_land_km2            = 3.73
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.44
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.44
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 868
|population_density_km2   = 232.70
|population_density_sq_mi = 602.78
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 118
|coordinates              = {{coord|33|21|15|N|90|35|28|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 38753
|area_code                = [[Area code 662|662]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 28-35020
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2405890<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2405890}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
}}
'''Inverness''' is a town in [[Sunflower County, Mississippi|Sunflower County]], [[Mississippi]], United States. The population was 868 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://data.census.gov/all?q=Inverness%20town,%20Mississippi|title=Census 2020|website=www.census.gov}}</ref>

As the town had the largest cotton gin in the [[Mississippi Delta]], it served as a gathering place for farmers from the region when they brought their cotton for processing. The town was heavily damaged by a tornado in 1971.

==Historic weather event==
{{main|1971 Inverness tornado}}

The small town was virtually destroyed on February 21, 1971, when an [[1971 Inverness tornado|F5 tornado]], one of many storms in the outbreak, struck more than a dozen towns in portions of [[Louisiana]] and [[Mississippi]]. A total of 36 people were killed in rural Mississippi as a result of the storm. Twenty-one of the victims were from Inverness, where a broad section of houses were destroyed.<ref name="reed"/>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|1.4|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

Inverness is about {{convert|90|mi|km}} north of [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]].<ref>"[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Eh40AAAAIBAJ&sjid=AeEIAAAAIBAJ&pg=2387,2164035&dq=parchman+north-of-jackson&hl=en Tornado Toll Rising in South]." ''[[Associated Press]]'' at the ''[[Bangor Daily News]]''. February 23, 1971. Volume 82, No. 215. City Page 1. Retrieved from [[Google News]] (1 of 47) on March 1, 2011.</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 221
|1920= 561
|1930= 683
|1940= 677
|1950= 1010
|1960= 1039
|1970= 1119
|1980= 1034
|1990= 1174
|2000= 1153
|2010= 1019
|2020= 868
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Inverness Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2835020&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 7, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|432
|49.77%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|410
|47.24%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|2
|0.23%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|1
|0.12%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|14
|1.61%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|9
|1.04%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 868 people, 355 households, and 256 families residing in the town.

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States Census]], there were 1,019 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 50.7% Black, 47.6% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian and 0.2% from two or more races. 0.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,153 people, 411 households, and 311 families living in the town. The population density was {{convert|800.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 432 housing units at an average density of {{convert|299.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 59.41% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 39.64% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]],  0.78% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 0.17% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.13% of the population.

There were 411 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 24.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $31,912. Males had a median income of $26,429 versus $19,000 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $12,050. About 26.6% of families and 34.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 39.8% of those under age 18 and 39.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==

===Primary and secondary schools===
[[File:Central Delta Academy, Inverness, MS.jpg|thumb|[[Central Delta Academy]], prior to 2010, when it closed.]]
The Town of Inverness is served by the [[Sunflower County Consolidated School District]] (formerly Sunflower County School District). Residents are zoned to school in [[Moorhead, Mississippi]].<ref name=Davistwoclose>{{cite web|last=Davis|first=Bryan|url=https://www.enterprise-tocsin.com/node/130692|title=SCCSD board of trustees votes to close two of the county's elementary schools |newspaper=[[The Enterprise-Tocsin]]|date=January 20, 2022|accessdate=August 21, 2022}}</ref> {{As of|2012}} it was zoned to Ruleville Central High School (now [[Thomas E. Edwards, Sr. High School]]), at the time the sole school of the district.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20120914062351/http://www.sunflower.k12.ms.us/sunflower_county_school_district_004.htm Schools]." [[Sunflower County School District]]. September 14, 2012. Retrieved on July 8, 2017.</ref>

After desegregation began in Inverness in the mid-20th century, white parents withdrew their children from the white public school, which closed. The white high school students began attending a private school in [[Indianola, Mississippi|Indianola]].<ref name="reed">Reed, Roy. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/23/archives/a-towns-luck-ends-as-tornado-hits-a-towns-luck-ends-as-tornado-hits.html A Town's Luck Ends as Tornado Hits; A Town's Luck Ends as Tornado Hits]." ''[[The New York Times]]''. February 23, 1971. Page 1. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "closed the white public school and sent their children to a private school at nearby Indianola rather than[...]"</ref> Formerly Inverness School (K-8) is the sole public school in Inverness.<ref>"[http://www.sunflower.k12.ms.us/invernes.html Inverness Elementary School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309091513/http://www.sunflower.k12.ms.us/invernes.html |date=March 9, 2012 }}." [[Sunflower County School District]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref> Inverness School closed in 2022, with students redirected to Moorhead.<ref name=Davistwoclose/>

[[Central Delta Academy]] was constructed in Inverness as a [[segregation academy]], a private school for white students whose parents did not want them in the public school system, which was under federal rulings to desegregate.<ref>Moye, J. Todd. ''[[Let the People Decide: Black Freedom and White Resistance Movements in Sunflower County, Mississippi, 1945-1986]]''. [[UNC Press Books]], 2004. [https://books.google.com/books?id=KZ4IoG1nQuUC&dq=%22Central+Delta+Academy%22&pg=PA243 243]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on March 2, 2011. "Sunflower County's two other segregation academies— [[North Sunflower Academy]], between Drew and Ruleville, and Central Delta Academy in Inverness— both sprouted in a similar fashion." {{ISBN|0-8078-5561-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8078-5561-4}}.</ref><ref>"[http://www.centraldeltaacademy.org/centraldeltaacademy.html Contacts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929091949/http://www.centraldeltaacademy.org/centraldeltaacademy.html |date=2009-09-29 }}." [[Central Delta Academy]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref> It closed on May 21, 2010.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20090905152355/http://www.centraldeltaacademy.org/page/page/4826505.htm Home]." (image on archive page broken) [[Central Delta Academy]]. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.</ref> The building was auctioned off in 2011, and was bulldozed soon thereafter.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

===Colleges and universities===
[[Delta State University]], a public research university, and [[Mississippi Valley State University]], a [[historically black college]], are in the area.<ref>"[http://www.in-ms.org/education/ Education] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726174205/http://www.in-ms.org/education/ |date=2011-07-26 }}." Inverness Chamber of Congress. Retrieved on March 3, 2011.</ref>

===Public libraries===
The Sunflower County Library operates the Inverness Public Library.<ref name=Dir>"[http://www.sunflower.lib.ms.us/sunflower/directory.asp Sunflower County Library Directory]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120313004730/http://www.sunflower.lib.ms.us/sunflower/directory.asp Archive]). Sunflower County Library. Retrieved on July 21, 2010.</ref> It was previously in a "Community House". In 1962 its location changed to that of a facility that was formerly a grocery store.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sunflower.lib.ms.us/sunflower/about.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051109163959/https://sunflower.lib.ms.us/sunflower/about.asp|title=About Our Library|publisher=Sunflower County Library|archive-date=2005-11-09|access-date=2024-08-27}}</ref> By 2012 it was in Inverness City Hall.<ref name=Dir/>
[[File:Little Milton.jpg|thumb|100px|Little Milton]]

==Notable people==
*[[Mary E. Flowers]], member of the [[Illinois House of Representatives]]
*[[Boyd Gilmore]] [[Delta blues]] musician<ref name="Wirz">{{cite web|url=http://www.wirz.de/music/gilmofrm.htm |title=Illustrated Boyd Gilmore discography |website=Wirz.de |access-date=November 15, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Samuel Jones (composer)|Samuel Jones]], composer and [[Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame]] inductee
*[[Willie Kent]], blues musician
*[[Little Milton]], blues musician and Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame member
*[[Ernie Terrell]], boxer
*[[Norris Thomas]], professional American football player

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Mississippi}}
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.in-ms.org/ Inverness Chamber of Commerce] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719195832/http://in-ms.org/ |date=July 19, 2011 }}
* [http://ies.sunflower.k12.ms.us Inverness Elementary School]
{{Sunflower County, Mississippi}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Sunflower County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Towns in Mississippi]]