Antioch

Antioch is on Farm Road 64 six miles west of Cooper in western Delta County. The site, originally part of the Moses Williams land grant, was settled by 1849, when four trustees obtained title to land for the Antioch Cemetery. Cotton was an important local crop in the early years, but honey became the major product after Charles H. "Honey" Smith began the industry in 1850. An Antioch school opened in 1879; classes met in the local church. In 1889 the Antioch Baptist Church held membership in the Delta County Baptist Association. The town was established the following year. In 1905 the school had ninety-five students and two teachers. In 1936 the site was not identified on maps, but one business, the school, and a cluster of dwellings were shown. The school was merged with the Pecan Gap and Cooper school districts in 1950. In 1964 the church and a few scattered dwellings were at the site. Antioch reported a population of twenty-five in 1970 and appeared on maps for 1984. In 1990 and 2000 the reported population was still twenty-five.