Smithville is located on lands purchased from Chickasaw chief Che-lah-cha-chubby in 1836. The town is named for William Smith, an early settler who established a store at the site around 1840. The town was incorporated in 1845.
2011 Tornado
On April 27, 2011 at 3:47 P.M CDT an EF5 tornado struck the town. Its winds are estimated to have peaked at. 16 people were killed, and 40 people were injured.
As of the census of 2000, there were 882 people, 365 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The population density 602.1 people per square mile. There were 404 housing units at an average density of 275.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town is 97.62% White, 1.59% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 0.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population. There were 365 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couplesliving together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who 65 years of age or older. The average household size 2.42 and the average family size 3.03. In the town, the population spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males. The median income for a household in the town $32,583, and the median income for a family $38,750. Males had a median income of $30,294 versus $23,958 for females. The per capita income for the town $14,030. About 7.1% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.
Smithville High School won two 1A football state championships in 1993 and 1998. The school previously vied for the title in 1989, losing to a Mt. Olive team quarterbacked by future NFL great Steve McNair. The Smithville High School softball team has won the 1A state championship in 2008, 2011, and 2012. The Smithville High School Band has won two state Marching Championships.
