As the nation marked its 250th anniversary, Itta Bena, Mississippi, offers a window into the country’s complex history. The small Delta town embodies the ongoing journey of America’s ideals, shaped by moments of hardship and progress.
Founded by Benjamin Grubb Humphreys in 1846, the town’s roots are tied to the antebellum South. Humphreys, a planter and Confederate officer, established his plantation near Roebuck Lake, naming it Itta Bena, a Choctaw word for a home in the woods. His legacy is intertwined with the region’s history of slavery, war, and segregation.
Humphreys served as Mississippi’s first post-war governor, opposing the 13th and 14th Amendments and enacting Black Codes that enforced segregation and disenfranchisement. His efforts helped sustain the social hierarchy of the old South long after the Civil War.
Despite these roots, Itta Bena is also the birthplace of blues legend B.B. King. Growing up in poverty on sharecropper land, King’s early life was marked by hardship. He learned guitar in church and transitioned from farm work to Memphis, where he became a renowned musician and international ambassador for the blues.
In 1950, the site of King’s childhood was transformed into Mississippi Valley State University, led by Dr. James Herbert White, a son of sharecroppers. White envisioned a higher education institution that offered opportunity and dignity, helping lift the community beyond its segregated origins.
Today, the Delta is dotted with historical markers recounting pivotal moments in American history, from the Emmett Till trial to Ulysses S. Grant’s use of Mississippi College as a field hospital. The region’s story reflects the nation’s ongoing effort to fulfill the promise of equality and liberty, as Lincoln called for after the Civil War.
While the physical landscape of Itta Bena and the Delta has changed, its significance endures. The town’s history demonstrates that the American experiment is an ongoing project—one that requires each generation to shape a more inclusive future. The story of Itta Bena shows that hope and progress are rooted in the country’s complex past.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
