Terry, Mississippi

History

The area to become known as "Terry" was first settled 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. The town of Terry, originally known as Dry Grove, changed its name 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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,063 people, 407 households, and 289 families residing in the town. The population density was 287.4 people per square mile (111.0/km²). There were 288 housing units at an average density of 124.7 per square mile (48.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 38.90% White, 59.30% African American, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or 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 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. The Board of Aldermen consists of Virginia Smith Bailey, Bonnie Holly, April Owens Miley, Connie Taylor, and Doris Young. Connie Taylor is the only Democrat on the Board of Aldermen. 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, William "Billy" Pechloff, and

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 both Brad Oberhousen of Terry and Gregory Holloway of Hazlehurst in the state House of Representatives. Due to redistricting of the Legislative districts, Rep. Credell Calhoun and Gregory Dortch are now representing a section near Terry. Sen. Blount, Rep. Holloway, Rep. Oberhausen, and Rep. Calhoun are active Democrats and were elected as Democrats.

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

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

Education

The Town of Terry is served by the Hinds County School District and is home to Terry High School. Pharmistist J. W. Combs was the president of the board of trustees for many years.

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

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

Media

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

Terry is the birthplace of influential blues musician Tommy Johnson. He claimed to have sold his soul to the devil at a secluded Mississippi crossroads in exchange for fame and fortune, a legend that was later popularized by its attribution to bluesman Robert Johnson.

Other persons of note who have lived in Terry include author Rick Bass, Rickey Cole, former chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party; and Bobby DeLaughter, prosecutor in the Byron De La Beckwith murder trial.

R. B. Walden, an attorney who served as director of the Louisiana Department of Hospitals and the mayor of Winnsboro, Louisiana, from 1926–1934, was born in Terry in 1901.

Robert Gray, the Democratic nominee in the 2015 Mississippi gubernatorial election, lives near Terry.