The town has roots as a Choctaw village named Chanki Chitto, which was named after the Choctaw game Tchungkee, a stickball game played with spears and polished stones.

In 1861, upon news that a railway was to be built in the vicinity, Chunkyville was moved to its present location[4] and was incorporated that year.

[5] In 1863 a train carrying injured confederate veterans on the Southern Railroad crashed in Chunky.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land.

The Lazy Acres Pumpkin Patch is a themed farm town in Chunky open to tourists.

Activities include pig races, a giant corn maze, interactions with farm animals, a hayride, face painting, sand art, and food concessions.

The railroad crosses the Chunky River west of town on a much smaller trestle, known locally as "break down".

A Confederate regiment of Choctaw Indians camping nearby saved many lives of soldiers who had been thrown into the raging flood swollen river.