The town of Batesville was a secondary frontier
community, lacking the river location of Panola and Belmont, the
two leading towns of that day in North Mississippi. Old
Panola, as it is now called, was located about one mile northwest
of the present site of Batesville, and was a bitter rival of
Belmont for the location of the county seat in 1864. Batesville has always been the center of excellent agricultural
lands, thriving on the proceeds of farming and livestock raising
since it was settled. Today, with pride in its rich past, and expectation in a
brilliant future, Batesville looks confidently to the years to
come with the same spirit that made that history so rich and
colorful. The same ambition and determination makes
Batesville on of the leading towns in North Mississippi, a
prosperous trading center which never ceases to strive for growth
and accomplishment.