History of Panola County
History
Panola county is a county located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Mississippi, just east of the Mississippi Delta (see map below). As of 2000, the population was 34,274. It's county seats are Sardis (1st judicial district) and Batesville (2nd judicial district). Panola is a Native American word which means "cotton".
Panola County was established on February 9, 1836 and is one of the twelve large northern Mississippi counties created in that year out of the Chickasaw Cession of 1832. Two of the oldest settlements in the county were at Belmont and Panola. These two settlements were a few miles apart, but on opposite sides of the Tallahatchie River. With the advent of the Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad (now the Illinois Centeral), Belmont was absorbed by Sardis and Panola was absorbed by Batesville.
On February 1, 1877 when Quitman County was created, Panola County surrendered a small portion of it's southwestern area to assist in forming that county.
Early Education
Little emphasis was placed upon the area of teacher training or education during this early period of county formation. In fact, education remained primarily the responsibility of the family. This type of informal education consisted of basic math, basic reading and study of biblical concepts
By 1840 serious consideration was being given to education. This is evident through the 1840 census which revealed that, during this period, four small schools existed with a combined student population of 92 students. This census did not list the schools, nor are there currently any known files or records concerning these early attempts at formal education
By 1850, the seventh census in Panola County listed 18 schools with a total of 439 students. By the spring of 1854, several members of the local shiloh community (Capt. Thomas Wilson, Dr. H. Mosely, and Mr. Jesse Smith) constructed a small log cabin to be used as the community's school house. It was known as the "Jones' School". Several years later, the location of the teaching facility was moved to Peach Creek where the school was known as the "Greasy Smith Schoolhouse".
