Walnut Grove

History

Walnut Grove began as a European-American settlement in a nearby location, now referred to as "Old Walnut Grove". This area was developed as cotton plantations in the antebellum era. The town was incorporated in 1884. A post office was established in 1854, and in the early 1900s, electricity and street lights were installed. The town was surveyed at its present location in 1923. Two canals were built near Walnut Grove in the late 1920s to improve transportation. Walnut Grove received a telephone franchise in 1927, and was connected to the Forest exchange. In 1962, a sewage and water system was installed, and in 1966, natural gas was installed. In 1970, the town organized and trained a volunteer fire department, though the first fire truck was not purchased until 1974. In 1981, William Grady Sims, was elected as mayor of Walnut Grove and was repeatedly re-elected, serving until 2012. He was one of the longest-serving mayors in the state. By 2006 the town annexed the property of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, which had been constructed nearby in the county in 2001. It added a large area and population of prisoners to the town. As the facility was privately owned, although operated under contract to the state, it made payments to the city in lieu of taxes. In addition, the operating company appointed Sims as warden of the prison in 2009. The company's payments in lieu of taxes for the prison constituted 15% of the city's budget in 2011. In October 2011, he was ordered by the state auditor to pay "$31,530 for using city employees and equipment to work on private prisons in the area, including the one he ran."

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km), all land. The community's town hall, post office, and library are in the central part of Walnut Grove.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• LEAKE COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · WALNUT GROVE · 349 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• LEAKE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · WALNUT GROVE · 296 students · 12.9:1 ratio