The first actual church built was Cedar Creek Church, a Methodist church, and Elim Baptist Church followed in the 1840s. In the Spring of 1834, Joel Nail, a quadroon Indian, began moving the Choctaw Indians to Muskalresha, an old town in Neshoba County, Mississippi. These journeys continued through 1838 for all that would go. Some of the Choctaw Indians returned to their homes in Clarke County after arriving at Muskalresha.  10 Black people were lynched in Clarke County, as documented in "The Hanging Bridge" by Jason Morgan Ward. In the 1830s there were no postal routes in Clarke County, however there was a stage coach line from Columbus, Mississippi to Winchester, Wayne County, Mississippi. The settlers of Clarke County would have to travel to Winchester, 25 miles away to receive their mail. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. The Chickasawhay River flows north to south through the eastern portion of the county; it eventually meets the Pascagoula River. As of the census of 2000, there were 17,955 people, 6,978 households, and 5,024 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 8,100 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.49% White, 34.81% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.30% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 6,978 households out of which 33.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 15.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the population was spread out with 26.80% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older.