Editing Pontotoc, Mississippi

{{for-multi|the Mississippi county|Pontotoc County, Mississippi|other uses|Pontotoc (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2009}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Pontotoc, Mississippi
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = Pontotoc County Courthouse.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Pontotoc County Courthouse in Pontotoc
| image_flag         = Flag of Pontotoc City and County, Mississippi.svg
| image_map          = Pontotoc_County_Mississippi_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Pontotoc_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Pontotoc, Mississippi
| pushpin_map        = Mississippi#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = <!-- 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  = [[Pontotoc County, Mississippi|Pontotoc]]
<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Bob Peeples ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])<ref>{{Cite web |last=Helms |first=David |date=2024-02-26 |title=Mayor Peeples outlines 2024 city projects |url=https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/news/mayor-peeples-outlines-2024-city-projects/article_8da238f0-d1cb-11ee-ad27-1742c5941084.html |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Recapitulation |url=https://sos.ms.gov/elections/electionresults/2013Municipal/Democratic%20Primary%205%207%202013/Ponotoc.pdf |access-date=November 28, 2024 |website=Mississippi Secretary of State}}</ref>
| 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     = 29.36
| area_land_km2      = 28.96
| area_water_km2     = 0.40
| area_total_sq_mi   = 11.33
| area_land_sq_mi    = 11.18
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.15
<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 5640
| population_density_km2 = 194.78
| population_density_sq_mi = 504.47
<!-- 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       = 459
| coordinates        = {{coord|34|14|55|N|89|00|24|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -->| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 38863
| area_code          = [[Area code 662|662]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 28-59160
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2404549<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404549}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|http://www.pontotocms.org/}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Pontotoc''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Pontotoc County, Mississippi|Pontotoc County]], [[Mississippi]], located to the west of the larger city of [[Tupelo, Mississippi|Tupelo]]. The population was 5,640 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census.]] Pontotoc is a [[Chickasaw language|Chickasaw]] word that means, “Land of the Hanging Grapes.” A section of the city largely along Main Street and Liberty Street has been designated the [[Pontotoc Historic District]] and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/131.pdf|format=PDF|title=National Register of Historic Places : Pontotoc Historic District|website=Apps.mdah.ms.gov|access-date=2023-12-23}}</ref> The [[Treaty of Pontotoc Site]] is also listed on the National Register.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/25538.pdf|format=PDF|title=National Register of Historic Places : Treaty of Pontotoc Site|website=Apps.mdah.ms.gov|access-date=2023-12-23}}</ref> The [[Treaty of Pontotoc Creek]], part of U.S. president [[Andrew Jackson]]'s [[Indian Removal]] policy, ceded millions of acres of Native American lands and relocated the Chicakasaw west of the [[Mississippi River]].

==History==
The Chickasaw nation occupied this area long before Europeans colonized the Southeast, the last in a succession of indigenous peoples who had this territory for thousands of years. In the early 1830s they were forced to [[Indian Territory]] west of the Mississippi River through the federal program of [[Indian removal]]. Pontotoc is a [[Chickasaw]] word meaning "Land of Hanging Grapes".<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=84}}</ref>

In the late 19th century, the outlaws [[Jesse James|Jesse]] and [[Frank James]] and their gang came into this area. They once hid at an old house that had been used as a [[Union Army]] hospital during the [[Battle of Harrisburg]] or [[Battle of Tupelo]] in the Civil War. The house was located at a crossroad in east Pontotoc County, near the [[Lee County, Mississippi|Lee County]] line.

The Town Square Museum is located in the historic US post office near the county courthouse. This space is used to house and display Pontotoc memorabilia. A full-service post office continues to operate in the building, which was built in 1937 during the [[Great Depression]]. It was one of numerous projects of the [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA) under President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. Investment in this program created work opportunities in construction of needed public buildings and infrastructure across the country, employing thousands of workers.

A mural in the post office lobby, titled ''The Wedding of Ortez and SaOwana - Christmas 1540'' (1939), was commissioned as public art. It depicts a legendary feast given by [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] to celebrate what was said to be the first recorded Christian marriage on the [[North American]] continent. The account appears to be local myth.<ref name="navarro"/>

The groom was said to be Juan Ortez (his name was spelled Ortiz in Spanish), an interpreter for the expedition. He was a Spanish national who had been captured in Florida years before and held by Chief Uceta. He was finally released as a slave and lived for years with the [[Mocoso]] people. His bride was said to be Princess Saowana, daughter of Chief Uceta. But Uceta's daughter was documented as Uleleh and she married a [[cacique]], another Chickasaw chief. <!-- Delete Florida Seminole tribe; they did not form as a tribe until the 18th century --> The wedding is said to have taken place in [[Pontotoc County, Mississippi|Pontotoc County]] during a visit by de Soto's party, but there is little documentation of such an event.<ref name="navarro"/>

The mural was painted in 1939 by artist [[Joseph Pollet]], who had immigrated to the US as a child with his family from Germany. He was commissioned under the arts program that was also part of the federal WPA program. Many artists and writers were employed by such projects, in addition to the workers who built federal buildings. Many murals and other art were created for post offices and other public buildings.<ref name="navarro">[https://postalmuseum.si.edu/indiansatthepostoffice/mural28.html Meghan Navarro, "The Wedding of Ortez and SaOwana - Christmas, 1540"], Exhibit: ''Indians at the Post Office: Native Themes in New Deal-Era Murals'', [[National Postal Museum]], Smithsonian Institution</ref>

The city holds an annual festival in the Town Square during the last week of the month of September, called the Bodock Festival. It celebrates the [[Maclura pomifera]] (Osage orange) (also known as ''bois d'arc'', or bowdock) tree located next to the historic mansion, [[Lochinvar (Pontotoc, Mississippi)|Lochinvar]]; both survived a massive tornado in 2001.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|9.6|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|9.4|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} is land and {{convert|0.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}} (1.66%) is covered by water.

===Climate===
{{Weather box
 | width       = auto
 | collapsed   = yes
 | single line = yes
 | location    = Pontotoc Experiment Station, Mississippi (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1953–present)
 | Jan record high F  = 79
 | Feb record high F  = 84
 | Mar record high F  = 88
 | Apr record high F  = 93
 | May record high F  = 96
 | Jun record high F  = 102
 | Jul record high F  = 105
 | Aug record high F  = 104
 | Sep record high F  = 102
 | Oct record high F  = 96
 | Nov record high F  = 87
 | Dec record high F  = 79
 | year record high F = 
 | Jan high F = 51.4
 | Feb high F = 55.6
 | Mar high F = 64.4
 | Apr high F = 72.6
 | May high F = 80.1
 | Jun high F = 86.7
 | Jul high F = 89.5
 | Aug high F = 89.5
 | Sep high F = 84.6
 | Oct high F = 74.4
 | Nov high F = 62.6
 | Dec high F = 54.2
 | year high F = 72.1
 | Jan mean F = 41.4
 | Feb mean F = 45.3
 | Mar mean F = 53.2
 | Apr mean F = 61.4
 | May mean F = 69.8
 | Jun mean F = 76.9
 | Jul mean F = 79.8
 | Aug mean F = 79.2
 | Sep mean F = 73.6
 | Oct mean F = 62.5
 | Nov mean F = 51.9
 | Dec mean F = 44.3
 | year mean F = 61.6
 | Jan low F = 31.4
 | Feb low F = 34.9
 | Mar low F = 41.9
 | Apr low F = 50.1
 | May low F = 59.5
 | Jun low F = 67.1
 | Jul low F = 70.1
 | Aug low F = 68.9
 | Sep low F = 62.6
 | Oct low F = 50.7
 | Nov low F = 41.2
 | Dec low F = 34.4
 | year low F = 51.1
 | Jan record low F  = -6
 | Feb record low F  = 2
 | Mar record low F  = 12
 | Apr record low F  = 24
 | May record low F  = 35
 | Jun record low F  = 44
 | Jul record low F  = 51
 | Aug record low F  = 48
 | Sep record low F  = 35
 | Oct record low F  = 26
 | Nov record low F  = 12
 | Dec record low F  = -7
 | year record low F = 
 | precipitation colour   = green
 | Jan precipitation inch = 4.88
 | Feb precipitation inch = 5.56
 | Mar precipitation inch = 5.49
 | Apr precipitation inch = 6.09
 | May precipitation inch = 5.54
 | Jun precipitation inch = 4.86
 | Jul precipitation inch = 4.89
 | Aug precipitation inch = 5.02
 | Sep precipitation inch = 3.67
 | Oct precipitation inch = 4.20
 | Nov precipitation inch = 4.34
 | Dec precipitation inch = 6.29
 | year precipitation inch = 60.83
 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
 | Jan precipitation days  = 11.0
 | Feb precipitation days  = 9.6
 | Mar precipitation days  = 11.0
 | Apr precipitation days  = 9.1
 | May precipitation days  = 10.4
 | Jun precipitation days  = 9.3
 | Jul precipitation days  = 9.6
 | Aug precipitation days  = 8.7
 | Sep precipitation days  = 6.2
 | Oct precipitation days  = 7.2
 | Nov precipitation days  = 8.8
 | Dec precipitation days  = 10.8
 | year precipitation days = 111.7
 | Jan snow inch = 0.0
 | Feb snow inch = 0.1
 | Mar snow inch = 0.1
 | Apr snow inch = 0.0
 | May snow inch = 0.0
 | Jun snow inch = 0.0
 | Jul snow inch = 0.0
 | Aug snow inch = 0.0
 | Sep snow inch = 0.0
 | Oct snow inch = 0.0
 | Nov snow inch = 0.0
 | Dec snow inch = 0.1
 | year snow inch = 0.3
 | unit snow days = 0.1 in
 | Jan snow days  = 0.1
 | Feb snow days  = 0.1
 | Mar snow days  = 0.0
 | Apr snow days  = 0.0
 | May snow days  = 0.0
 | Jun snow days  = 0.0
 | Jul snow days  = 0.0
 | Aug snow days  = 0.0
 | Sep snow days  = 0.0
 | Oct snow days  = 0.0
 | Nov snow days  = 0.0
 | Dec snow days  = 0.0
 | year snow days = 0.2
 | source = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="NOWData">{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=meg
|title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = November 3, 2023}}</ref><ref name="NCEI">{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00227111&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = November 3, 2023}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1870= 384
|1880= 447
|1890= 535
|1900= 1010
|1910= 1277
|1920= 1274
|1930= 2018
|1940= 1832
|1950= 1596
|1960= 2108
|1970= 3453
|1980= 4723
|1990= 4570
|2000= 5253
|2010= 5625
|2020= 5640
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
[[Image:Pontotoc Post Office Town Square Museum.jpg|thumb|right|The Town Square Museum/Post Office located in downtown Pontotoc. The Post Office was built by the government in 1937, during the Depression.]]
[[Image:USA Mississippi Tupelo area NPS map.jpg|thumb|right|Pontotoc (lower left) is west of [[Tupelo, Mississippi|Tupelo]] (via Highway 278) and south of [[New Albany, MS|New Albany]].]]<!--If enlarged beyond original 285px: no "thumb" attribute allowed for Wiki over-enlargement in 2007. -->

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Pontotoc Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2859160&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-08|website=Data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|3,551
|62.96%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|1,177
|20.87%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|17
|0.3%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|18
|0.32%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|192
|3.4%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|685
|12.15%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 5,640 people, 1,906 households, and 1,342 families residing in the city.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, 5,625 people, 2,325 households, and 2,129 families resided in the city. The population density was {{convert|555.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The 2,250 housing units averaged 238.1/sq&nbsp;mi (91.9/km{{sup|2}}). The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the city was 70.08% White, 20.42% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 7.39% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.76% of the population.

Of the 2,325 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were not families. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was distributed as 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,491, and for a family was $39,306. Males had a median income of $31,403 versus $23,491 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $17,324. About 12.0% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 23.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The almost all of the city of Pontotoc is served by the [[Pontotoc City School District]]  while a small portion of the city limits is in the [[Pontotoc County School District]].<ref name=Censusmap>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28115_pontotoc/DC20SD_C28115.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220801031856/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28115_pontotoc/DC20SD_C28115.pdf |archive-date=2022-08-01 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Pontotoc County, MS|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2022-07-31}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28115_pontotoc/DC20SD_C28115_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

[[Pontotoc High School]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/mississippi/districts/pontotoc-city-schools/pontotoc-high-school-11395|title=Pontotoc High School|website=Usnews.com|access-date=2023-12-28}}</ref> and [[South Pontotoc High School]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/mississippi/districts/pontotoc-county-school-district/south-pontotoc-high-school-11394#:~:text=South%20Pontotoc%20High%20School%202023,rank%20the%20Best%20High%20Schools|title=South Pontotoc High School|website=Usnews.com|access-date=2023-12-28}}</ref> are in Pontotoc. The [[Pontotoc County School District]], serving surrounding areas, has its headquarters in Pontotoc. They are two of the top academic schools in the state of Mississippi. North received the Blue Ribbon Award and South received Level 5, the highest rating for a school in Mississippi. The city's band was the Grand Champion in the state in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msbandmasters.com/Forms/2017%20Forms/Championships%202017/COMBINED%20RECAPS%202017.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401003832/http://www.msbandmasters.com/Forms/2017%20Forms/Championships%202017/COMBINED%20RECAPS%202017.pdf |archive-date=2018-04-01 |url-status=live|format=PDF|title=MBA/MHSAA Class 1A/2A State Marching Championships|website=Msbandmasters.com|access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Marshal T. Adams]], member of the [[Mississippi State Senate]] from 1916 to 1924<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rowland |first=Dunbar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8sGAQAAIAAJ |title=The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi |date=1917 |publisher=Department of Archives and History |pages=794–795 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Terry "Harmonica" Bean]], bluesman; lifelong resident of Pontotoc<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arts.state.ms.us/folklife/artist.php?dirname=bean_terry|title=Terry "Harmonica" Bean: Blues Musician, Pontotoc|publisher=Arts.state.ms.us|access-date=12 January 2015}}</ref>
* [[N. W. Bradford]], former member of the [[Mississippi House of Representatives]] and Mississippi Senate<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rowland |first=Dunbar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8sGAQAAIAAJ |title=The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi |date=1917 |publisher=Department of Archives and History |pages=793–794 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Delaney Bramlett]], singer, songwriter and musician; born in Pontotoc
* [[Nickey Browning]], member of the Mississippi State Senate from 1996 to 2020<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wise |first1=Jonathan |title=Browning's American Legion coaching tenure epitomized service to others |url=https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/browning-s-american-legion-coaching-tenure-epitomized-service-to-others/article_9c75ab48-37b8-11ef-8a59-8b9a689e4f12.html |access-date=October 21, 2024 |work=Pontotoc Progress |date=July 10, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Thad Cochran]], former U.S. Senator from Mississippi
* [[Alfred Oscar Coffin]] (born 1861), first African-American man to earn a Ph.D. in biological sciences; professor of Romance languages at [[Langston University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/coffin.html|title=Alfred O. Coffin : Zoologist, Biologist|website=Webfiles.uci.edu|access-date=12 January 2015}}</ref>
* [[DeVan Dallas]], member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1964 to 1976<ref>{{cite web |title=DeVan Dallas |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/pontotoc-ms/devan-dallas-7156421 |website=dignitymemorial.com |access-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Glen H. Davidson]], [[Senior status|senior]] [[United States federal judge|United States district judge]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Davidson, Glen H. |url=https://www.fjc.gov/node/1379776 |website=Federal Judicial Center |access-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Borden Deal]], novelist and short-story writer; from Pontotoc
* [[Ruby Elzy]], pioneer black opera singer; played the soprano role of Serena in [[George Gershwin]]'s ''[[Porgy and Bess]]''
* [[Lanny Flaherty]], actor known for the role of Big Al in the 1993 film [[Blood In Blood Out]].
* [[Wayne Flynt]], former history professor and author<ref>{{cite web |title=Wayne Flynt |url=https://www.samford.edu/departments/oral-history/projects/faculty/Wayne-Flynt-Interview |website=samford.edu |access-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Lee Gates]] (1937–2020), blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter<ref>{{cite book|author1=Bob L. Eagle|author2=Eric S. LeBlanc|title=Blues: A Regional Experience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZNfAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA121|date=May 2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-34424-4|page=121}}</ref>   
* [[Cyrus Harris]] (1817–1888, [[Chickasaw]]), politician; he was among the Chickasaw [[Indian removal|removed to Indian Territory]].
* [[Mac Huddleston]], member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2008 to 2023<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vance |first1=Taylor |title=Mac Huddleston, longtime state lawmaker from Pontotoc, dies at 79 |url=https://mississippitoday.org/2023/08/27/mac-huddleston-lawmaker-dies/ |access-date=October 21, 2024 |work=Mississippi Today |date=August 27, 2023}}</ref>
* [[Kent Hull]], former [[NFL]] [[Buffalo Bills]] center; from Pontotoc
* [[Cowan Hyde|Cowan F. "Bubba" Hyde]] (born 1908), [[Negro league baseball]] player who played for the Birmingham Black Barons
* [[William H. Inzer]], justice of the [[Supreme Court of Mississippi]] from 1965 to 1978<ref>{{cite web |title=Judge James L. Roberts Jr. lauded for public service |url=https://courts.ms.gov/news/2019/01.21.19Jim%20Roberts%20portrait%20afterstory.php |website=courts.ms.gov |access-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Cordell Jackson]], guitarist; born in Pontotoc
* [[Estes C. McDaniel]], member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1964 to 1972<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mississippi. Legislature |date=January 1, 1968 |title=Hand book : biographical data of members of Senate and House, personnel of standing committees [1968] |url=https://egrove.olemiss.edu/sta_leghb/12 |journal=Mississippi Legislature Hand Books |pages=31}}</ref>
* [[Max Palmer]], professional wrestler; from Pontotoc
* [[Romie J. Palmer]], Illinois jurist and legislator; born in Pontotoc
* [[Steve Pegues]], former [[Major League Baseball]] player; from Pontotoc
* [[R. C. Pitts]], basketball player who played in the [[1948 Summer Olympics]]<ref>{{cite web |title=R.C. Pitts |url=https://profootballarchives.com/players/p/pitt02100.html |website=profootballarchives.com |access-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
* [[James L. Roberts Jr.]], justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1992 to 1999<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.djournal.com/news/circuit-judge-james-roberts-resigns/article_cee42cdc-1457-5f3c-b30a-280549cd4029.html |title=Circuit Judge James Roberts resigns|first1=William|last1=Moore|work=Daily Journal|date=January 23, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Kermit Scott]], professor of philosophy, once presumed to be the namesake of [[Kermit the Frog]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Elkins |first1=Chris |title=Kermit the Frog born in Pontotoc? |url=https://www.djournal.com/pontotoc/news/kermit-the-frog-born-in-pontotoc/article_19d1b8e3-cb64-56c6-8a49-e5dbff81843b.html |access-date=October 21, 2024 |work=Pontotoc Progress |date=April 22, 2009}}</ref>
* [[Wesley Walls]], former [[National Football League]] tight end
* [[Jim Weatherly]], singer, songwriter and musician
* [[Elizabeth H. West]] (born 1873), librarian and archivist<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ttuua/00091/00091-P.html |title=Elizabeth Howard West: An Inventory of Her Papers, 1835-1939 and undated, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library |website=Lib.utexas.edu |publisher=Texas Tech University |access-date=January 13, 2016}}</ref>
* [[Roger Wicker]], U.S. Senator from Mississippi
* [[Thomas Hickman Williams]], U.S. Senator from 1838 to 1839<ref>{{cite web |title=WILLIAMS, Thomas Hickman |url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/W000539 |website=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |access-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Thomas J. Word]], member of the United States House of Representatives from 1838 to 1839<ref>{{cite web |title=WORD, Thomas Jefferson |url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/W000742 |website=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |access-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Daniel W. Wright]], justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1832 to 1838<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 11, 1844 |title=The Hon. Daniel W. Wright died... |pages=1 |work=Mississippi Free Trader |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/mississippi-free-trader-the-hon-daniel/134389013/ |access-date=October 21, 2024 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Tupelo National Battlefield]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://misspreservation.com/2012/10/30/suzassippis-mississippi-old-pontotoc-post-office/ Old Pontotoc Post Office]

{{Pontotoc County, Mississippi}}
{{Mississippi county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Cities in Pontotoc County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:County seats in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Cities in Tupelo micropolitan area]]
[[Category:Mississippi placenames of Native American origin]]