Raymond Municipal Court
Raymond, Mississippi is located in Hinds County, which is situated in the west-central section of the state. Raymond is one of the oldest towns in the state of Mississippi, chartered in 1830. Prior to that time, plantations covered the area, yielding an abundance of crops, such as tobacco and cotton. Raymond was designated as the seat of Hinds County, with a magnificent courthouse built in 1857—a courthouse that the Smithsonian recognizes as one of the ten “most perfect examples of Southern architecture in the United States. Many structures remain from the 1800’s which remind those in the area of Raymond’s antebellum past. These structures include the Dupree House, Chancery Building, South Cedars, Shelton House, Phoenix Hall, Belcher House, Waverly, Gibbs Von Seutter House, Futch House and Mamie’s Cottage.
The Civil War molded the history of Raymond; in 1863 Union General James McPherson marched toward Raymond, encountering Confederate General John Gregg’s Brigade just a mile south of town. A six-hour battle ensued across the banks of Fourteen-Mile Creek. There were more than a thousand casualties, turning churches, schools and the courthouse into makeshift hospitals. The women of Raymond tended to all the wounded soldiers, both blue and gray. South of Raymond lies a Confederate Cemetery which memorializes those who lost their lives in the Civil War. The City of Raymond endured hard times after the Civil War with the plantations in ruin and the owners of the plantations bankrupt. A fire engulfed the town in 1858, and this fire, along with the devastation of the Civil War destroyed much of the business district.
A mixture of old and new makes Raymond the unique town it is today. Tourists love to visit Raymond, and residents love their hometown. As of the 2010 census, Raymond’s population was a bit less than 2,000. Raymond is one of the two county seats of Hinds County, sharing with Jackson, and houses the main campus of the Hinds Community College. Jackson, a Mississippi city full of things to do, is just a short 15-minute drive from Raymond. While in Raymond visitors can make the quick trip to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, the Mississippi Children’s Museum, the Mississippi State Capitol building, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, the Eudora Welty House and Garden, the Mississippi Museum of Art and the Mynelle Gardens.