Batesville, Mississippi 2025

Batesville is a city in Panola County, Mississippi, USA. The population was 7,340 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Grenada Micropolitan Statistical Area.

In 1856, the village was founded chiefly by abolitionists from the Natchez Trace area. It was incorporated a year later. It became a center for education, with three colleges: a girls' school (Batesville Female Academy), a boys' school (Batesville Academy), and Panola College. When the town was bypassed by the railroad, growth was somewhat stunted. However, the town began growing very slowly after the arrival of Parchman State Prison Farm, which is located just east of the city, in 1905.

Education remains an important part of the city's culture, with schools providing activities for students, including academic and sports competitions, 4-H, and Future Farmers of America (FFA) events, and other programs. Several city, county, and state parks provide outdoor and sports activities. During the 1990s, the growth of the city began to increase rapidly, and new subdivisions and businesses were being built all around the area.

The city celebrates its founding with an event known as Pioneer Day.

The Old Gringo restaurant is located in downtown Batesville. The original building, erected in 1865, houses the restaurant. The historic Sinclair house was converted into a bed and breakfast and is now known as the Sinclair House B&B.

Elbert R. Hilliard, Jr., a local historian, author, and newspaper columnist, published Sketches of Batesville, a book about the city's history, in 1987. Glory in the Hills of Mississippi, a biography of Mississippi writer and historian Shelby Foote, was published in 2012.