Town file
Wiggins, Mississippi
Wiggins, Mississippi (Stone County, Mississippi) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 542, "Biting Off More..." (2 November 2024). Wiggins, Mississippi, is a small town of 4,282 people in Stone County, in the southern part of the state between Mobile and New Orleans.
- Town
- Wiggins
- County
- Stone County
- State
- Mississippi
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 542
- Approximate location
- 30.856, -89.139
Episode 542 / 2 November 2024 / 71 min / express
Biting Off More...
"We're going to Mississippi. Here, this is Wiggins, Mississippi ... this is in Stone County." about 0:03:12
The case: Murder of Sherry Johnson (June 3, 2018). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- 4,282
- Median household income
- $48,784
- Median home value
- $138,900
History, in brief
- In 1886 James Madison Hatton, son of Wiggins Hatton, homesteaded 160 acres in north central Harrison County. about 0:04:35
- A small village was established on part of James Madison Hatton's land and named Nile City, after Judge H.C. Niles. about 0:05:01
- In 1896 the town tried to get a post office under the name Nile City, but the Post Office Department refused because Nile City, Michigan, already existed. about 0:05:08
- The town was renamed Wiggins in honour of Wiggins Hatton. about 0:05:42
- One of the first buildings was a jail, 12 by 20 feet and 10 feet high with two rooms, built strongly to stop breakouts; a few years later local teenagers overturned the whole building as a Halloween prank. about 0:05:50
- A new jail was later built because the old one could be tipped over. about 0:06:34
- In 1910 a fire destroyed the whole business part of town and a few homes; the meeting place moved to the south-west corner room of the school building, and the town rebuilt with brick buildings. about 0:06:50
- In 1912 the American Pickle and Canning Company was founded; its plant burned to the ground in 1913 and was replaced. about 0:07:09
The reviews read out
5 stars
"I love Wiggins, I have always lived here, most of my family is here, I love the small town atmosphere filled with people who genuinely care about you, there is no other town like Wiggins and I am proud this is my hometown."about 0:07:26
3 stars
""My town is not the best to live in but it'll do"; there are troubles in this town and they don't have the money to fix some things, so the writer wants to move on to better things."about 0:07:57
2 stars
"There aren't many things to do in Wiggins nor many restaurants to eat at; there is only one high school and one middle school and it would be nice for more things to open up."about 0:08:17
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Gulfport, Mississippi30 miles
- Biloxi, Mississippi32 miles
- Lucedale, Mississippi33 miles
- Hattiesburg, Mississippi33 miles
- Petal, Mississippi34 miles
- Citronelle, Alabama55 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.