Editing Terry, Mississippi

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Terry, Mississippi
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = TerryMSDowntown.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Downtown Terry
|image_map = Hinds_County_Mississippi_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Terry_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Terry, Mississippi
<!-- 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        = [[Hinds County, Mississippi|Hinds]]
<!-- 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           = 9.93
|area_land_km2            = 9.88
|area_water_km2           = 0.05
|area_total_sq_mi         = 3.83
|area_land_sq_mi          = 3.81
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.02
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1304
|population_density_km2   = 132.03
|population_density_sq_mi = 341.99
<!-- 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            = 295
|coordinates             = {{coord|32|07|10|N|90|17|40|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type        = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code             = 39170
|area_code               = [[Area code 601|601]]
|blank_name              = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info              = 28-72680
|blank1_name             = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info             = 2406727<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2406727}}</ref>
|website                 = {{URL|terryms.org}}
|footnotes               = 
}}
[[Image:TerryMSMarker.jpg|upright|thumb|Historical marker in downtown Terry]]

'''Terry''' is a town in [[Hinds County, Mississippi|Hinds County]], [[Mississippi]], United States. The population was 1,063 at the 2010 census,<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2872680| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Terry town, Mississippi| work=American Factfinder| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| accessdate=August 17, 2017| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213094854/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2872680| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> up from 664 at the 2000 census. It is located along [[Interstate 55]], about {{convert|15|mi}} southwest of [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]] and located in Supervisors District Five of Hinds County. The town is part of the Jackson [[Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
The town of Terry, originally known as '''Dry Grove''', changed its name{{when|date=January 2021}} in honor of W. D. Terry, whose land the town was built on. This information comes from the bronze plaque in the town's center at Utica and Cunningham streets.<ref>{{cite book |last= Brieger |first= James |title= Hometown, Mississippi |year= 1997 |publisher= Town Square Books, Inc. |isbn= 1-886017-27-1}}</ref> The area was established in 1811 by settlers from [[Virginia]]. In 1867, the town of Terry was established as a depot when the railroad was built through the area.

For a number of years, Terry was the home of Mississippi governor [[Albert G. Brown]].

==Geography==
Terry is in southeastern Hinds County and is bordered to the north by the city of [[Byram, Mississippi|Byram]]. [[Interstate 55]] passes through the west side of the town, with access from Exit 78. I-55 leads north {{convert|16|mi}} to Jackson and south {{convert|9|mi|0}} to [[Crystal Springs, Mississippi|Crystal Springs]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town of Terry has a total area of {{convert|9.9|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.05|sqkm|order=flip|2}}, or 0.50%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010"/> The town is drained to the east by Rhodes Creek and Vaughn Creek, tributaries of the [[Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana)|Pearl River]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 198
|1900= 481
|1910= 473
|1920= 392
|1930= 412
|1940= 401
|1950= 497
|1960= 585
|1970= 546
|1980= 655
|1990= 613
|2000= 664
|2010= 1063
|2020= 1304
|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|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Terry racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2872680&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-16|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|951
|72.93% 
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|317
|24.31%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|2
|0.15%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|4
|0.31%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|14
|1.07%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|16
|1.23%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,304 people, 449 households, and 348 families residing in the town.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,063 people, 407 households, and 289 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|287.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 288 housing units at an average density of {{convert|124.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 59.30% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]],38.90% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], and 0.9% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 407 households, out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 25.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.6% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.6 years. For every 100 females there were 79.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,192, and the median income for a family was $35,875. Males had a median income of $25,781 versus $24,167 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $19,011. About 17.0% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
Joseph O. Kendrick Jr. was elected mayor of Terry on January 12, 2016, in a special election following the removal of the town's former mayor. The Board of Aldermen consists of Virginia Smith Bailey, Terry Johnson, April Owens Miley, Randy Shepherd, and Connie S. Taylor. Terry Johnson and Connie Taylor are the Democrats on the Board of Aldermen; Mayor Kendrick is also a Democrat. The others were elected as "independents."

Past mayors of Terry include Langston, Keith Davis, H. S. Clark, Rowean McCoy Luper, F. M. "Mike" Yates, Rev. Lester Williams, and William "Billy" Pechloff. Roderick T. Nicholson, the town's first African-American mayor, was elected three times in 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Two Hinds County officials are from the Terry area: Pearlie B. Owens (Justice Court Judge for District Five), and Bennie Buckner (Constable for District Five).

The state senator representing the district including Terry is [[David Blount]] of Jackson. Terry is represented by [[Brad Oberhousen]] of Terry and [[Gregory Holloway]] of Hazlehurst in the state House of Representatives. Due to redistricting, Rep. [[Credell Calhoun]] and [[Gregory Dortch]] now represent a section near Terry. Sen. Blount, Rep. Holloway, Rep. Oberhausen, and Rep. Calhoun are active Democrats.

In August 2015, Rep. Brad Oberhausen was defeated in the Democratic primary by [[Jarvis Dortch]].

All Hinds County officials and state of Mississippi officials representing the Terry area are Democrats.

==Education==
Terry is served by the [[Hinds County School District]] and is home to [[Terry High School (Mississippi)|Terry High School]]. In addition to Terry High, residents are zoned to Gary Road Elementary School, Gary Road Intermediate School, and Byram Middle School in [[Byram, Mississippi|Byram]].<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20110721164057/http://www.hinds.k12.ms.us/184910101617857560/lib/184910101617857560/attendance_zone.jpg attendance_zone.jpg]." [[Hinds County School District]]. July 21, 2011. Retrieved on December 29, 2018.</ref>

Past principals of Terry High School include Mr. Bishop, Miss Estelle Scott, Roger McDaniel, Jimmy Russell, Gerald Huskey, Johnny Hines, and Dr. Martin Herrington.

The football field at the high school is named after B. C. Lee.

[[Jackson/Hinds Library System]] operates the Ella Bess Austin Library in Terry.<ref>"[http://www.jhlibrary.com/calendar-for-location/Ella-Bess-Austin-Library/201812 Ella Bess Austin Library]." [[Jackson/Hinds Library System]]. Retrieved on December 29, 2018.</ref>

==Media==
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2024}}
Throughout the twentieth century, the town's weekly newspaper was ''The Terry Headlight.'' ''The Headlight'' was edited in Terry and printed in Crystal Springs in the office of the ''Crystal Springs Meteor.'' Editors of this publication included Mamie Birdsong, Willie Dean Sojourner Brister, Carolyn Booth Patrick, and Elsie Moss Berryhill. Among the columnists were Fanny Dulaney, Dot Champion, and Rev. Ryburn Stancil. The ''Terry Headlight'' ceased its publication approximately in 1990.

At the time of the demise of ''The Terry Headlight,'' the editor of the ''Hinds County Gazette'' (Mary Ann Keith) announced that an insert devoted to the town of Terry would be included in the ''Gazette.'' This insert was published for a few weeks, at which time a column about the Terry area was incorporated into the ''Gazette'' (as was being included about other towns in Hinds County). The writer of this was Elzena Kitchens Johnson.

In late 2013, ''The Hinds County Gazette'' suspended publication. At this time, ''The Terry Headlight'' was revived as a weekly online source of information by Elzena Kitchens Johnson.  E-mail subscriptions to this were (and remain) free to readers who request a subscription.

In 2014, ''The Hinds County Gazette'' was purchased by ''The Magnolia Gazette'' of Pike County.  The weekly Terry column continues in ''The Hinds County Gazette.''

''The Terry News'' was formerly published monthly to provide information about events in Terry and the surrounding area. The newspaper included a monthly column by Mayor Nicholson and was mailed to every household in the 39170 zip code.  ''The Terry News'' ceased publishing in early 2015.

==Notable people==
* [[Henry L. Brown]], physician and [[World War I]] veteran<ref name="FisherBuckley2015">{{cite book|author1=W. Douglas Fisher|author2=Joann H. Buckley|title=African American Doctors of World War I: The Lives of 104 Volunteers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iKQHCwAAQBAJ|date=3 December 2015|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-4766-6315-9|page=47}}</ref>
* [[Bobby DeLaughter]], former member of the [[Mississippi Supreme Court]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mswritersandmusicians.com/mississippi-writers/bobby-delaughter |author=Erin D'Abramo |title=Bobby DeLaughter |website=Mississippi Writers and Musicians |access-date=2021-05-17}}</ref>
* [[Tommy Johnson (guitarist)|Tommy Johnson]], [[Delta blues]] musician<ref name="Publishing2012">{{cite book|author=Britannica Educational Publishing|title=The Birth of Rock & Roll: Music in the 1950s Through the 1960s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ze-cAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT35|date=1 December 2012|publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing|location=New York, New York|isbn=978-1-61530-911-5|page=35}}</ref>
* [[Luster Willis]], artist<ref name="Sellen2016">{{cite book|first=Betty-Carol |last=Sellen|title=Self-Taught, Outsider and Folk Art: A Guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources |edition=3rd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5QKQCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT285|date=2016|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-4766-2304-7|page=285}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://terryms.org/ Town of Terry official website]

{{Commons category|Terry, Mississippi}}
{{Hinds County, Mississippi}}

[[Category:Towns in Hinds County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1811]]