Walls is a town located in northern DeSoto County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, United States, near the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

, part of the larger region known as " The Delta", and known for its rich, dark soil. As it is in the upper northwest corner of

, it is in the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area. Its ZIP code is 38680. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,162, with an estimated population of 1,463 in 2018.

History

A relatively young community, Walls was originally named "Alpika", an old

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classif ...

Indian word. The name was changed to Walls in 1906. Walls was named after Captain June Walls, who served in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Captain Walls was an early settler and merchant of the region in the 1880s. A Mississippian culture village site near Walls, the Walls Site, gives its name to the

Walls phase The Walls phase is an archaeological phase in southwestern Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi of the Late Mississippian culture. Chucalissa is a Walls phase mound and plaza complex located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Other c ...

, the last prehistoric cultural expression before European contact. The historic trail of Hernando de Soto leads through DeSoto County to near Walls. Today, Walls is a community rich in agriculture. Cotton, soybeans, rice and corn are planted each spring. The railroad played a vital part in the growth of the area in the early to mid 1900s. The mechanical revolution of the 1950s and 1960s changed Walls, as well as many other Delta communities. A significant part of the community is the Sacred Heart League, operator of the Sacred Heart School in Walls. The league raised funds through the sale of a famous statue of Jesus Christ. In the 1960s, the statue could be found on the dashboards of vehicles across America. The town of Walls, which has been a community since the early 1900s, was connected to the tiny village of

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

which was incorporated in the early 1970s and was located just south of the Walls community. In 2003/2004, the village of Memphis was annexed, thereby giving the town of Walls the official status of a municipality.

Geography

Average temperatures: January = 39.4 F July = 81.1 F

Subdivisions (in the city limits)

*Kaitlin Ridge *Mallard Park *Encore

Neighboring cities

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

(north) * Horn Lake (east) *

Tunica Resorts Tunica Resorts, formerly known as Robinsonville until 2005,

(southwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 1,351 people, 445 households, and 325 families residing in the town.

Education

Walls is served by the DeSoto County School District.

Secondary schools

* Lake Cormorant Middle School * Lake Cormorant High School

Elementary schools

*Walls Elementary *Lake Cormorant Elementary

Growth and expansion

Leatherman Development

The Leatherman family has begun to develop industrial, commercial and residential projects in town limits of Walls. The first industrial tenant, Sigma Supply Co., has moved into a new building off US 61 and Star Landing Road in the Leatherman industrial park. Sigma Supply is a distributor of industrial and packaging equipment and facilities supplies. The Leatherman Planned Unit Development in Walls touts a new elementary school with 900 students, which opened in August 2008, joining Lake Cormorant Middle School that currently has 700 students. Lake Cormorant High School opened in 2011.

Notable people

* Gene Alday, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2012 to 2016 * Martaveous McKnight, professional basketball player * Leslie B. McLemore, civil rights activist and political scientist *

Memphis Minnie Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Wh ...

, musician *

Harvey Wippleman Bruno Lauer (born October 27, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, referee, and occasional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Harvey Wippleman and Downtown Bruno. Wippleman began his career working in professional wrestli ...

, former WWF professional wrestler

References

External links

Town of Walls official websiteWalls Police DepartmentDeSoto County SchoolsDeSoto County website
{{authority control Towns in Mississippi Towns in DeSoto County, Mississippi Memphis metropolitan area