In 1541, the Spanish conquistador, Hernando DeSoto, discovered the Mississippi River. It is believed that he first sighted the "muddy Mississippi" from what is now known as DeSoto County. The explorer and his entourage were in search of treasure, however, did not find any and DeSoto died on the west side of the Mississippi River in May of 1542. His body was committed to the waters of the river under the darkness of night.

In 1817, Mississippi entered the Union as the 20th state.

In 1839, Hernando was incorporated as a city and the first newspaper, The Hernando Free Press, was organized by editors J.M. Lacey and Felix Labauve. The first federal census was taken and accounted for 6990 residents. By 1850, the population had increased to 19,042.

By 1861, the Civil War had caused every able-bodied man in the county to join the Confederacy. In 1863, the Union troops burned the Hernando courthouse. By June of that year, almost all commercial and public buildings in Hernando had been burned by the Federal soldiers from Memphis. Fortunately, all the original records were in safe keeping.

Hernando is unique in that it produced three (3) Generals in the Civil War; Major General Patton Anderson, Lt. General Nathan B. Forrest, and General James Chalmers. Few places can boast of three generals from the same town in the same army.

After the war ended in 1865, Hernando was anxious to rebuild, however, due to the entire state being placed under military control, it was not until 1870 that Mississippi was finally admitted back into the Union.

In 1872, a new courthouse was completed, known as the French Castle, and remained a source of community pride until it burned in 1940.

In 1890, Hernando celebrated 100 years as a city.

Attempts to modernize Hernando resulted in:

1916 --- Electric power arrived
1923 --- Hernando water system built
1926 --- School buses began transporting children
1927 --- Farm Bureau organized
1932 --- Hernando constructs sewer system
1950 --- The arrival of natural gas

From 1929 to 1932, the Great Depression hit the entire nation.

In 1942, after the French Castle courthouse burned, a new courthouse was completed and still serves Hernando as the county seat of DeSoto County. Legend says that DeSoto camped on the present location of the courthouse the night before he discovered the Mississippi River.

Before 1959, Hernando was known as "America's Marriage Capital," with up to 150 couples per week "tying the knot" in this small country town. This chapter in Hernando's history came to an end when the Mississippi Legislature passed legislation to prohibit "same day marriages". To commemorate Hernando's distinction, in October 2003, during the inaugural Hernando Music and Heritage Festival, couples having married in Hernando will be invited to participate in a "mass renewal of vows" ceremony.

In 1964 Interstate 55 opened and thus began the development of subdivisions all over the county.

In 1988, A Time to Kill, written by John Grisham of DeSoto County, was published with many of the settings depicted in Hernando.

In 1990, the movie Blind Vengeance was filmed on the courthouse square, starring Gerald McRainey.

In 1995, the Hernando-based North Mississippi All-Stars band formed. The band has since garnered two Grammy Award nominations for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

In 2000, a website was created for Hernando as a move to the 21st century. In 2003, the website was updated to include interactive materials and enhanced imagery and incorporated information for the City of Hernando --- bringing the city into the "Digital Age".