| 1541 |
Hernando DeSoto discovers Mississippi River |
| 1817 |
Mississippi enters the Union as the 20th state |
| 1832 |
Treaty of Pontotoc Creek signed; Chickasaw Indians cede
lands to U.S. government |
| 1833 |
Settlement of Jefferson (known today as Hernando) established |
| 1836 |
Mississippi Legislature designates Hernando as county
seat of DeSoto County |
| Edward Orne of Boston & Mississippi Land Co. gives
40 acres for county seat site |
| Fred de Funick maps city |
| First courthouse built one-quarter mile south of town
square |
| 1839 |
First newspaper, the Hernando Free Press, established
with Felix LaBauve as editor |
| 1840 |
Town of Hernando incorporated |
| 1841 |
Bill passed to incorporate the Commerce, Hernando and
Eastport Railroad |
| 1845 |
Nathan Bedford Forrest elected constable of Hernando
1846 - Patton Anderson forms company from DeSoto County
during Mexican War |
| Nathan Bedford Forrest elected coroner of DeSoto County |
| 1852 |
Construction begins on Hernando Plank Road; Mississippi
& Tennessee chartered |
| 1855 |
Memphis to Hernando Railroad link completed |
| Second courthouse built on Hernando Square |
| 1861 |
Civil War begins |
| 1863 |
Union troops burn Hernando courthouse |
| 1864 |
Nathan Bedford Forrest leads famous raids into Memphis |
| 1866 |
First school board organized in DeSoto County |
| 1870 |
Congress votes Mississippi back into Union |
| 1871 |
First free public school in county, Hernando Male Academy,
formed |
| 1872 |
"French Castle" court house completed |
| First free school for blacks established in county |
| 1876 |
Yellow Fever epidemic hits Hernando |
| 1879 |
Felix LaBauve dies, leaves endowment for University
of Mississippi scholarships for orphans |
| 1890 |
Hernando Bank chartered |
| First high school established in Hernando |
| Mississippi/Tennessee border agreed upon by both states |
| Mississippi constitution approved |
| 1893 |
First black high school established |
| 1900 |
Smallpox epidemic hits Hernando |
| 1901 |
First free nine month school, Randle University, opens
in Hernando |
| 1913 |
County’s first automobile agency, Ford dealership
opens in Hernando |
| 1929 |
Great depression; Alma Gray Horn writes History of DeSoto
County 1836 to 1861 |
| 1940 |
French Castle courthouse burns |
| 1942 |
New courthouse completed |
| 1943 |
Arkabutla Lake dam completed |
| 1953 |
Goldsmith's donates DeSoto murals to county |
| 1970 |
Integration of public schools |
| 1973 |
Hernando civic clubs purchase property for youth baseball
and horse shows known as Hernando Civic Center |
| 1978 |
Hernando Industrial Park developed |
| 1988 |
John Grisham publishes A Time to Kill, with scenes depicting
Hernando |
| 1989 |
City of Hernando hires first full time fireman |
| 1990 |
Movie Blind Vengence, starring Gerald McRainey is filmed
on Hernando Court Square |
| 1997 |
Hernando becomes first Small Towns Main Street program
in state of Mississippi |
DeSoto County Courthouse, Hernando Court Square placed
on National Register of Historic Places |
| 2000 |
Census data reflects town’s population doubles
since 1990 |
| 2002 |
Hernando leads DeSoto County in highest average price
of homes sold |
| Mississippi Department of Transportation begins work
on New Highway 304 bypass |
| 2003 |
Historic DeSoto Museum opens |
| First Regional Library completes expansion and renovation |
| City and Chamber of Commerce launch community website |
| 2005 |
City and Chamber of Commerce launch improved community
website |
