Mississippi Civil Rights Project

History of the 82 counties

Background/History

After the Civil War, a majority of Marshall County's voters were black, so one African-American state senator and three state representatives were elected.

Currently, there are no images associated with this county.

Currently, there are no videos associated with this county.

Currently, there are no audio files associated with this county.

Currently, there are no documents associated with this county.

Freedom Schools in Marshall County
Holly Springs Freedom School Project was located at the corner of 100 Rust Avenue and North Memphis Street and was referred to as Freedom House.
James Hill
"One of the slaves of Holly Springs, James Hill became Secretary of State of Mississippi from 1874-1878. He had served the family of James W. Hill, one of the town's leading citizens.
Hiram Rhodes Revels
Hiram Revels was Mississippi's first black senator. He is buried in Hillcrest Cemetery. He moved to Holly Springs in 1870 and later became the first African-American United States Senator.
James Farmer, Jr.
Civil rights leader James Farmer, Jr. founded CORE (the Congress of Racial Equality).

Places

Rust College
Rust's curriculum spanned from elementary education to normal school training for teachers – a four-year high school level program – for many years. A. C.
Mississippi Industrial College
Opened in 1905, the college now lies in disrepair. Many of the civil rights leaders attended this school.

Events

Civil Rights Marches and a Federal Lawsuit
Date of Event:
May 15, 1968
Following the death of Martin Luther King, citizens in Holly Springs conducted a peaceful march from Rust College, proceeding through town to the courthouse.
Desegregation in Marshall County
Date of Event:
1960s
Wazir Peacock was a SNCC field secretary in Mississippi and Alabama who attended Rust College. He describes the desegregation movement and its origins in Holly Springs:

Organizations

Currently, there are no organizations associated with this county.