McHenry, Mississippi, is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in southern Stone County

Stone County, Mississippi

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,622 people, 4,747 households, and 3,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 5,343 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...

. It is situated approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Wiggins

Wiggins, Mississippi

Wiggins is a city in Stone County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,849 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Stone County.-History:...

 and 3 miles (5 kilometers) north of Saucier

Saucier, Mississippi

Saucier is a census-designated place in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. The community is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area

Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area

The Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region that covers three counties - Hancock, Harrison, and Stone. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 246,190. The area was significantly impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A...

.

History

The town of McHenry was settled by Dr. George McHenry in 1883. The town was situated in the longleaf yellow pine

Southern Yellow Pine

Southern Yellow Pine doesn't refer to any one species of tree, but rather a group of species which are classified as yellow pine , and are native to the Southern United States. They grow very well in the acidic red clay soil found in most of the region. The varieties include Loblolly, Longleaf,...

 region where lumber

Lumber

Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....

 mills and family farms

Family farm

A family farm is a farm owned and operated by a family, and often passed down from generation to generation. It is the basic unit of the mostly agricultural economy of much of human history and continues to be so in developing nations...

 were the principal forms of livelihood. In 1910, the town had several stores, churches, a school, a bank, and a newspaper office. The State Bank was established in 1902 with a capital of $15,000. During that time period, the town had a brickyard

Brickyard

A brickyard is a place or yard where the earthen building material called bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from.-See also:...

, and a large planing

Planing

Planing may refer to:* Planing or hydroplaning, a method by which a hull skims over the surface of the water* Hydroplaning , a loss of traction caused by a layer of water between the tires and the road surface...

 mill for lumber. With construction of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad

Gulf and Ship Island Railroad

The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad was constructed in the state of Mississippi, USA, at the turn of the 20th century to open a vast expanse of southern yellow pine forests for commercial harvest. In spite of economic uncertainty, entrepreneurs William H. Hardy and Joseph T. Jones successfully...

 through the town in the 1890s, the population increased from 350 to about 1,200 in 1906. By the 1920s, the vast timber resources of south Mississippi had been depleted, and booming lumber towns, such as McHenry, faded rapidly.

George McHenry's home is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Stone County, Mississippi.