YAZOO COUNTY, Miss. ( WJTV ) – As you drive on into Satartia, it looks kind of like you’re still in the country, but you’re in the tiniest town in Mississippi.

The 2020 census put the population of Satartia at 41. It’s the smallest incorporated municipality in the state. The Yazoo River is the reason they’re here, but Todd Hart says this area has been populated for centuries, though. The Native Americans were here.

“There’s mounds. The whole town sits on a mound complex,” said Hart.

It was a port city back in its early days, a popular destination, according to Alderwoman Kathy Nesbit.

“People came and went constantly with this port. General Grant used to use this place for his vacation time away from the Vicksburg war,” she said.

Speaking of Grant and the Civil War, one of the old homes in Satartia was used as a field headquarters and a hospital. A Union soldier wrote a note on a wall in the attic to the people who lived here. It says, “To the unknown owners of this house, your case is a hard one ,and I pity you. Though I cannot relieve.”

Some say the house is haunted.

Danny Brown wrote a children’s story about Ely, the catfish who lives under the bridge. It’s become pretty popular. Satartia celebrates the tale with a carved catfish by the town hall.

Next time you drive through, slow down. You blink and you might miss something astounding.

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