Town We Serve – Clinton MS

Clinton Mississippi was established in 1823 as Mount Salus. An 1822 survey documented that there was a spring there. The town’s name was changed to Clinton in honor of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, who pushed for the building of the Erie Canal.

The Natchez Trace passed through Clinton. Mississippi College is the oldest institution of learning in the state and was established in 1826 as Hampstead Academy. It’s the first coeducational college in the USA.

The Clinton-Vicksburg Railroad was established in 1831 and yearly exported 20,000 bales of cotton to the Mississippi Grand Gulf. The Union Army occupied Clinton during the civil war. The Clinton Riot in 1875 was a white insurgent response to a Republican rally. Many black pastors and schoolteachers were attached. The governor asked the federal government to send troops, which it did. However, white Democrats took control of state government, and troops were withdrawn in 1877.

During World War II, Camp Clinton was a German POW camp with 3,000 Afrika Korps soldiers, and 35 of 40 German generals captured were there. They built the Mississippi River Basin, which was used to model floods.

Fortune 500 company, WorldCom, was headquartered in Clinton until 20 years ago. The current population is more than 25,000. Attorney Joey Franks is the DUI Lawyer for Clinton MS.

Clinton MS website https://www.clintonms.org/