Walls wants development but residents fear a data center
The view from Scenic Delta Bluff in Walls, Mississippi, where historians believe Hernando de Soto first spotted the mighty Mississippi. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
On May 8, 1541, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto and about 400 of his men crossed the Mississippi River after surviving a surprise attack by the native Chickasaw that forced them to retreat.
Historians debate where de Soto crossed the river, but some believe it was near present-day Walls, Mississippi, the “final frontier” of DeSoto County, named after the famous explorer, according to Walls Mayor Keidron Henderson.
The small, rural, majority-Black town is locked in a bitter battle between residents and elected officials over a request from a local landowner and restaurateur to rezone 1,240 acres of farmland for industrial use.
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Town of Walls industrial rezoning Hernando de Soto Bruno Lauer Keidron Henderson Robert Abbay Subscriber OnlyThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Aarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on DeSoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
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