Noxubee County unveils historical marker, honoring the first black state legislators from the area

2 hours ago

Chance Roberts,

MACON, Miss. – The Making Their Mark project unveiled a historic marker on the lawn of the Noxubee County Courthouse honoring the county’s first black state legislators.

When freedom came at the end of the civil war, Noxubee county’s population was around 74% African American. and with African Americans being able to hold elected office for the first time, 5 of the first 162 black legislators elected in the reconstruction period of the late 1860s to 1870s were from the county. Making Their Mark Co-Director Chuck Yarborough was there to help with the unveiling.

“As we put these markers up, we are celebrating a part of our state’s history that’s been relatively unrecognized and under celebrated,” said Yarborough. “So, we’re creating a more complete understanding of our local history, and that’s empowering to everybody”

The names represented on the sign include Lt. Governor Alexander K. Davis, Senator Isham Stewart, Representatives Thomas A. Cotton, Marshall McNeese, and Lawrence W. Overton. Davis was a Macon native and is the highest-ranking black elected official in the state’s history, and from 1870 through the 1890s, Mississippi had more black elected officials than any other state in the country.

“The importance is to educate our young children about history, our roots, and our path,” said James. “This thing is very important to let our young, African American kids know their roots, the history of Noxubee County, and about some of their parents.”

Making Their Mark has 22 markers they’re preparing to place across the state within the next year.