Mound City was incorporated in 1857 as a union of two cities: Mound City, founded by Major General Moses Marshal Rawlings, and Emporium City, a project of the Emporium Real Estate and Manufacturing Company, a group of Cincinnati and Cairo businessmen. The city took its name from a Native American mound on which guests at General Rawlings' hotel would sleep in summer, as the breezes cooled them and dispersed the mosquitoes. During the Civil War, Admiral Andrew Hull Foote made Cairo the naval station for the Mississippi River Squadron of over 200 ironclads, timberclads, hospital ships, transports, and other vessels. Since Cairo had no land available for base facilities, the navy yard repair shop machinery was afloat aboard wharf-boats, old steamers, tugs, flat-boats, and rafts. The naval station was moved upstream in 1862 when of land was purchased in Mound City. The Mound City Naval Station included a shipyard with marine ways, a foundry, marine barracks, supply offices, and a hospital; but many repair facilities remained afloat because the Mound City land was frequently inundated by flood waters. USS Cairo was built in 1861 by James Eads and Co. of Mound City, under contract to the War Department. She was commissioned in January 1862 as part of the Mississippi River Squadron, U.S. Navy Lieutenant James M. Prichett in command. She was a City-class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was the lead ship of the City-class gunboats, sometimes also called the Cairo class, and was named for Cairo, Illinois. On December 12, 1862 just north of Vicksburg, Mississippi, the USS Cairo became the first ship sunk by electrically detonated torpedoes during its mission to destroy Confederate batteries and clear the Yazoo River of underwater mines.
Geography
Mound City is located at . According to the 2010 census, Mound City has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The majority of the Native American mounds for which the city was named have been destroyed by development and farming.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 588 people and 270 households. The racial makeup of the city was 44.39% White, 53.4% African American, a single Asian, three individuals from other races, and eight individuals from two or more races. There were nine people who were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 692 people, 279 households, and 178 families residing in the city. The population density was 973.5 people per square mile. There were 319 housing units at an average density of 448.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 49.57% White, 49.57% African American, 0.14% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.16% of the population. There were 279 households out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.5% were married couplesliving together, 30.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $16,607, and the median income for a family was $22,143. Males had a median income of $35,469 versus $15,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,020. About 35.5% of families and 39.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.5% of those under age 18 and 26.0% of those age 65 or over.
