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Mississippi County
Claiborne County, Mississippi
Port Gibson and Grand Gulf Military Monument - from Port Gibson's famous declaration by Ulysses S. Grant that the town was "too beautiful to burn" during the Civil War (the city's antebellum churches, including the First Presbyterian Church with its famous hand-pointing-to-heaven steeple, survive today as some of Mississippi's finest examples of pre-war architecture) to Grand Gulf Military Monument (the site of the Battle of Grand Gulf, a key engagement in Grant's Vicksburg Campaign, now preserved as a state park along the Mississippi River with a museum, fort remnants, and river overlooks).
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Office: Claiborne County Emergency Management – 2033 Highway 18 East, Port Gibson, MS 39150 | (601) 437-4684; Director Marvin Ratliff Sr.; coordinates with the City of Port Gibson and Alcorn State University for county-wide preparedness; the Mississippi River and Bayou Pierre create flood risk in the county.
Sheriff: Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office – PO Box 427, Port Gibson, MS 39150 | (601) 437-5161 | Fax: (601) 437-3830; Sheriff Edward Goods; elected at-large, four-year term.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. E-911 Coordinator Sabrina Bailey, (601) 437-1151.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-61 and MS-18 serve Port Gibson, the county seat and largest city, bordered by the Mississippi River to the west and the Big Black River to the north, part of both the Vicksburg metropolitan area and the Jackson MS Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Notes: Claiborne County was established in 1802, named for William C. C. Claiborne, second governor of the Mississippi Territory. Roughly 8,060-9,135 residents across 487-501 square miles. As of the 2020 Census, this small county has one of the highest percentages of African American residents in the nation. Port Gibson, chartered as a town March 12, 1803, is Mississippi’s third-oldest settlement, first occupied in 1729.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Claiborne County Courthouse – Port Gibson, MS 39150.
Notes: Port Gibson is genuinely, famously known as the town “too beautiful to burn” – legend holds that Union General Ulysses S. Grant spared it from destruction during the 1863 Vicksburg Campaign after the Battle of Port Gibson (May 1, 1863), a phrase that appears on the town’s city-limit signs to this day. Historic Church Street remains lined with antebellum homes and churches, including Gemiluth Chessed synagogue (built 1892), Mississippi’s oldest synagogue and only Moorish Revival building. Nearby stand the Windsor Ruins, the 23 surviving Corinthian columns of what was considered the state’s most extravagant Greek Revival mansion (built 1859-61, destroyed by fire in 1890) – a designated Mississippi Landmark and NRHP-listed site frequently used as a filming location. Claiborne County is also home to Alcorn State University, the first historically Black land-grant institution in the United States. Grand Gulf Military Park, on the National Register of Historic Places, preserves Forts Cobun and Wade along with Civil War-era buildings and a museum.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Claiborne County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via ccmsgov.us.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS VA medical center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Harriette Person Memorial Library – Main Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150; first founded 1914, recently relocated to a newly restored historic building.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Windsor Ruins, Grand Gulf Military Park, Alcorn State University, and historic Church Street in Port Gibson are the county’s premier and most nationally significant attractions.
Notes: The genuine “too beautiful to burn” Civil War legend and the presence of Alcorn State University, the nation’s first historically Black land-grant institution, are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Claiborne County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via ccmsgov.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Claiborne Animal Shelter – serving Claiborne County; mission to shelter animals humanely, promote adoptions, and reduce pet overpopulation through spay/neuter and education; confirm current address/phone via ccmsgov.us or local listings.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Claiborne County – confirm current contact via ccmsgov.us.
NOTES: Claiborne County is the fourth county in the second batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine “too beautiful to burn” Civil War legend and the presence of Alcorn State University, the nation’s first historically Black land-grant institution, are among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Claiborne County
Claiborne County is southwest Mississippi’s Civil War heritage and Mississippi River county – Port Gibson’s surviving antebellum architecture and Grant’s famous proclamation give the county seat a historic distinction while Grand Gulf Military Monument preserves a critical chapter of the Vicksburg Campaign along the river bluffs of southwest Mississippi.
Port Gibson (the county seat, population ~1,500) is Claiborne County’s governmental and historical hub, a small river town whose preserved antebellum streetscapes make it one of Mississippi’s most architecturally significant small cities.
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Claiborne County Assessor at 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, phone 601-437-4994. MS assessed at percentage of true value by property class.
Courts & Legal
Claiborne County Circuit Court at 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, phone 601-437-4992, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
410 Market St., Port Gibson, MS 39150
(601) 437-5061
CIRCUIT CLERK
410 Market St., Port Gibson, MS 39150
(601) 437-5061
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Claiborne County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
The Claiborne County Courthouse in Port Gibson stands with a Confederate Monument on its grounds.
Local societies
No dedicated Claiborne County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Claiborne County Chancery Court 410 Market Street (mail: P.O. Box 449), Port Gibson, MS 39150 (601) 437-4992
Claiborne County was founded 1802, named for William C.C. Claiborne, in southwestern Mississippi, seated in Port Gibson.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Mississippi has not adopted the Uniform Probate Code and instead follows its own statutory framework under Miss. Code Ann. Title 91, Chapter 7. Mississippi’s small-estate threshold, at $75,000, is one of the lowest in the country, so most estates end up needing at least some court involvement.
Small Estate Affidavit (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-322) – personal property only, up to $75,000 (excluding liens and encumbrances). A 30-day waiting period after death applies. The affidavit is presented directly to whoever holds the property (a bank, for instance); that party is not required to investigate the truth of the affidavit and is protected from liability once it complies.
Muniment of Title (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-5-35) – a limited proceeding to transfer real property named in a will, without full administration, when the estate’s non-real-estate assets are $75,000 or less and all debts (including taxes) have been paid. A petition is still filed with the Chancery Court to declare the will valid; the will and court order are then recorded in the land records.
Formal Administration – required for most estates with real property beyond the muniment-of-title threshold or significant liquid assets. The Chancery Judge reviews the petition, the will (if any), and supporting documents before issuing Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration appointing the personal representative.
Step 2: filing for probate
File a petition with the Chancery Court in the county where the decedent was domiciled.
The personal representative inventories assets and notifies creditors; Mississippi’s creditor claim period runs 90 days (Miss. Code Ann. § 91-7-145).
Claims and disputes are adjudicated by the Chancery Court if contested.
Once debts are settled and the creditor period closes, the estate can be distributed and closed.
What it costs
Costs are the Chancery Clerk’s per-county filing fee (built on the statewide base under Miss. Code § 25-7-9), plus recording fees and publication costs.
Mississippi has no state estate tax or inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax could separately apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
410 Market St., Port Gibson, MS 39150
(601) 437-4231
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
410 Market St., Port Gibson, MS 39150
(601) 437-5061
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Office: Claiborne County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via ccmsgov.us.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Port Gibson
Population: 9,000
Area: 489 sq mi
Established: 1802
Tier: 4
Public Records
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Search public records for Claiborne County residents.
