Bolivar County, Mississippi: History
On February 9, 1836, when it was established, the land was originally Choctaw, and was taken for use in agriculture, with some of the most valued land in the state. In 1840, there was only one free black person, 384 free whites, and 971 enslaved people, making its population 60% slaves. This number only increased, because around 1860, the population was about 87% slaves, due to its lucrative, mostly agricultural economy.
After the Civil War, the county continued to maintain a predominantly black population as freed African American cleared and developed wild bottom lands for agriculture. Additionally, African Americans were drawn to the successful settlement of Mound Bayou, which was founded and run by African Americans. The county had 18 documented lynchings in the period from 1877 to 1950. In the 1920s, Bolivar county was a hotspot for UNIA chapters, with 17 chapters, and by 1960, it had a significant local civil rights movement, and remains a mostly black area today.