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Mississippi County
Pike County, Mississippi
McComb - the Civil Rights Movement's dangerous proving ground - from McComb's Civil Rights significance (McComb was one of the most violent and dangerous sites of the Civil Rights Movement - the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's 1961 voter registration drive in McComb was met with brutal beatings, bombings, and murder - Herbert Lee, a local NAACP member and farmer, was shot and killed by a state legislator while trying to register voters, and the campaign trained a generation of civil rights workers who carried the movement forward despite extraordinary violence) to Pike County's oil and natural gas production heritage along the Mississippi-Louisiana border.
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What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Pike County Emergency Management – confirm current phone via co.pike.ms.us.
Sheriff: Pike County Sheriff’s Office – 1201 B North Clark St, Magnolia, MS 39652 | Dispatch (601) 783-2323 | Office (601) 783-6767 | Fax: (601) 783-6586; Sheriff Bryant “Wally” Jones, took office December 2023.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-55 and US-98 serve McComb, the county’s largest city, and Magnolia, the county seat.
Notes: Pike County was founded in 1815, named for explorer Zebulon Pike. Roughly 38,710-40,320 residents across 409-411 square miles, on Mississippi’s southwestern border.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Pike County Courthouse – Magnolia, MS 39652.
Notes: Pike County is genuinely the birthplace of Bo Diddley (born Ellas Otha Bates, later Ellas McDaniel), born December 30, 1928 near Magnolia, south of McComb – widely acclaimed as a founder of rock ‘n’ roll and a key figure in the transition from blues to rock and roll. His pioneering “Bo Diddley beat” and use of electronic distortion influenced countless artists including Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, The Who, and Eric Clapton; he is a member of both the Blues and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. A Mississippi Blues Trail marker near the McComb Railroad Museum commemorates him – the site of his final public performance in 2007. Self-taught folk artist Loy Allen Bowlin of McComb, known as the “Original Rhinestone Cowboy,” famously covered his home and car in sequins and rhinestones.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Pike County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact via co.pike.ms.us.
Federal: VA facilities accessible via a Jackson, MS VA medical center; confirm current routing.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Confirm current McComb and Magnolia public library addresses/phone via co.pike.ms.us.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The McComb Railroad Museum and Bo Diddley Blues Trail marker, and the Southtown Historic District in Magnolia, are the county’s premier attractions.
Notes: The genuine Bo Diddley birthplace connection is one of the most nationally significant music history facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Pike County Tax Assessor – (601) 783-4130.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
McComb Animal Shelter – 125 East Michigan Avenue, McComb, MS | (601) 684-3602 | Email: mccombshelter@[domain]; a no-kill shelter serving the City of McComb and assisting with community animal control services.
PALS Rescue, Inc. – McComb, MS.
Southwest Mississippi Animal League Rescue (SMALR) – Summit, MS.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Pike County – confirm current contact via co.pike.ms.us.
NOTES: Pike County is the first county in the ninth batch of the Mississippi v2 A+ sourced redo. The genuine Bo Diddley birthplace connection is one of the most nationally significant music history 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 Pike County
Pike County is southwest Mississippi’s Civil Rights crucible – McComb’s 1961 SNCC voter registration campaign was met with some of the most savage resistance in the movement’s history, and the courage of the workers and local people who persisted despite bombings and murder helped forge the movement’s resolve.
McComb (population ~10,500) carries its Civil Rights history with pride – the Civil Rights Memorial and the community’s documented courage in the face of extreme violence define a chapter of American history that demands remembrance.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Pike County Tax Assessor at 200 E. Bay Street, Suite 6, Magnolia, MS 39652, phone 601-783-3784. MS residential assessed at 10% of true value.
Courts & Legal
Pike County Chancery Court at 200 E. Bay Street, Magnolia, MS 39652, phone 601-783-2581, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CHANCERY CLERK
200 E. Bay St., Magnolia, MS 39652
(601) 783-3362
CIRCUIT CLERK
200 E. Bay St., Magnolia, MS 39652
(601) 783-3362
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Pike County Chancery Court (probate case files – see Probate section above).
Historic Holmesville, an unincorporated community and Pike County’s original seat of justice, sits on the Bogue Chitto.
Local societies
No dedicated Pike 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
Pike County Chancery Court 200 E. Bay Street (mail: P.O. Box 309), Magnolia, MS 39652 (601) 783-3362
Pike County was founded 1815, named for explorer Zebulon Pike, on Mississippi’s southwestern border, seated in Magnolia (though McComb is the county’s largest city).
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
200 E. Bay St., Magnolia, MS 39652
(601) 783-2911
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
200 E. Bay St., Magnolia, MS 39652
(601) 783-3362
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
MS Dept of Health — Southwest Region
(601) 783-2921
Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center
smrmc.com (McComb — major regional hospital; primary Pike County anchor)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Pike County Health Department (Mississippi State Department of Health) – confirm current phone via co.pike.ms.us.
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