Mississippi Civil Rights Project

History of the 82 counties

Background/History

Amite County is located in Southwest Mississippi on the Louisiana border. Its county seat is Liberty, founded in 1805 and is, thus, one of oldest towns in the state.

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Herbert Lee
Herbert Lee, a farmer and the father of nine children, was a charter member of Amite County's NAACP branch and remained openly active even after Sheriff Caston's 1954 raid.
Louis Allen
Louis Allen, an independent logger and father of four children, witnessed Lee's murder and contacted the Justice Department.
E.W. Steptoe
E.W. Steptoe, Amite County native and owner of a dairy and cotton farm, founded Amite County's NAACP chapter in 1953 and recruited nearly 200 members in less than a year.

Places

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Events

The Murder of Herbert Lee and Louis Allen
Date of Event:
1961-1964
August 15, 1961: Bob Moses (a SNCC worker) accompanied farmer Ernest Isaac, Bertha Lee Hughes, and Matilda Schoby to register at the Liberty courthouse.

Organizations

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