Hushpuckena, Mississippi

Unincorporated community in Mississippi, United States

34°00′17″N 90°45′11″W / 34.00472°N 90.75306°W / 34.00472; -90.75306CountryUnited StatesStateMississippiCountyBolivarElevation

128 ft (39 m)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)ZIP code

38774

Area code662GNIS feature ID671639^[1]

Hushpuckena is an unincorporated community located in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States along U.S. Route 61. Hushpuckena is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Duncan and approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Shelby. Hushpuckena is located on the former Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad.^[2] Hushpuckena was named after the Hushpuckena River.^[3] Hushpuckena is a name derived from the Choctaw language purported to mean "sunflowers are abundant".^[4]

A post office operated under the name Hushpuckena from 1885 to 1968.^[5]

In popular culture

Hushpuckena was mentioned in Tom Waits' 1999 song "Pony,"^[6] as well as Irish singer-songwriter Hozier’s 2023 song “Butchered Tongue”.^[7]

Gallery

Abandoned storefronts in Hushpuckena

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hushpuckena, Mississippi
^ Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Vol. 1. Southern Historical Publishing Association. p. 911.
^ Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-60473-483-6.
^ Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-60473-483-6.
^ "Bolivar County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
^ Tom Waits – Pony, retrieved August 31, 2023
^ "Butchered Tongue". Genius. Retrieved August 22, 2023.