New Houlka, Mississippi

New Houlka, Mississippi
Town
Location of New Houlka, Mississippi Location of New Houlka, Mississippi
New Houlka, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Chickasaw
Area
• Total	1.2 sq mi (3.2 km2)
• Land	1.2 sq mi (3.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	626
• Density	520/sq mi (200/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
FIPS code	28-51420
GNIS feature ID	671516

New Houlka is a town in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States.

The original settlement, now referred to as "Old Houlka", is located west of New Houlka.

Established prior to 1794, Old Houlka is the oldest surviving non-Native settlement in north Mississippi.

The population of New Houlka was 626 at the 2010 census.

History

The location was a well-establish center of Chickasaw culture by the 1500s.

Non-Native settlers arrived in the 1700s and established a Chickasaw Agency House at Houlka for trading with the Natives. Agency representatives called the settlement "Holkey" in their earliest correspondence, which date from 1794.

Houlka was located at the crossroads of the Natchez Trace and the Gaines Trace.

In 1805, Silas Dinsmoor hosted a ball at the Agency House. In attendance were future U.S. Representative John McKee and former U.S. Vice-President Aaron Burr.

A post office was established in 1826.

During the Civil War, Confederate forces led by General Samuel J. Gholson clashed with Federal troops at a swamp-crossing near Houlka.

Houlka was incorporated in 1884.

Houlka High School was founded in 1890 "to establish a permanent and high grade institution for the education of white students of both sexes". The selling of "intoxicating liquors" within 4 mi (6.4 km) of the school was prohibited.

In 1904, the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad built a line from New Albany to Pontotoc, passing 1 mi (1.6 km) east of Houlka. Soon after, residents began moving to "New Houlka", located near the railway line. Buildings were rolled on logs from Old Houlka to New Houlka, pulled by teams of oxen. By 1906, New Houlka had a bank, three churches, a saw mill, an academy, a plow factory, and a population of about 500. The town was incorporated that same year.

In 2004, the railway running through New Houlka, now owned by the Mississippi Tennessee Railroad, was abandoned between New Albany and Houston, a distance of 43.2 mi (69.5 km). The track was removed and a recreational rail trail called the "Tanglefoot Trail" was built on the right-of-way.

Name

The etymology of New Houlka is unclear. Some hold it is derived from a Native American name meaning "low land" or "low water" while others believe it means "turkey".

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1970	646		—
1980	710		9.9%
1990	558		−21.4%
2000	710		27.2%
2010	626		−11.8%
Est. 2014	613		−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 710 people, 285 households, and 186 families residing in the town. The population density was 581.7 people per square mile (224.7/km²). There were 319 housing units at an average density of 261.3 per square mile (101.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.23% White, 24.79% African American, 0.56% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.97% of the population.

There were 285 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,417, and the median income for a family was $28,958. Males had a median income of $22,353 versus $18,542 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,812. About 20.0% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.7% of those under age 18 and 26.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of New Houlka is served by the Chickasaw County School District. It is the location of the Houlka Attendance Center, the only school in the district. The old Houlka High School building is still extant.

Notable people

• Charles Easley, Associate Justice on the Mississippi Supreme Court. Easley was a farmer and cattleman in Houlka before entering law.
• Earl J. Hamilton, historian.
• Jim Hood, Attorney General for Mississippi.