On July 12, 1887, the city of Mound Bayou, Mississippi was founded by Isaiah T. Montgomery and his cousin, Benjamin T. Green, former slaves of Joseph Emory Davis. Mound Bayou is situated halfway between Vicksburg, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee off of Highway 61. Mound Bayou remains the oldest bastion of Black municipal government in the South.

Isaiah T. Montgomery and Benjamin T. Green had as their dream since before the Civil War to found the Largest U.S. Negro Town. Montgomery and Green founded Mound Bayou to serve as a sanctuary for African-American families and culture.

Throughout the years, Mound Bayou has continued its long tradition of community self-empowerment that has produced numerous African American leaders, innovators, and proud family lineages. Mound Bayou has always been a model city for the capabilities of African-Americans to rise above inequality in the South. The town has never practiced or experienced segregation within its borders. Mound Bayou is a town without second class citizens.

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