Jefferson County is located in the southwest portion of
Mississippi and is one of the two oldest counties in the state.
It was one of the first two divisions of the Mississippi
Territory, established by proclamation on April 2, 1799, under
the name of Pickering by Winthrop Sargent, the first territorial
governor of the State of Mississippi. The county's name was
changed to Jefferson in 1802, in honor of President Thomas
Jefferson. Many of the early settlers came in by way of the
Natchez Trace, a public road which ran north from Natchez
through Jefferson County to the settlements in Tennessee and
they came in flatboats down the Mississippi River. The county,
before the Civil War, was rich in culture and wealth, large
plantations, beautiful homes, and lovely churches. Many of the
antebellum homes are still in good repair. The first seat was at
Hunston, later renamed Greensville. Fayette, the present county
seat, was established in 1825, when it was decided by popular
vote to move the seat from Greensville on th