Native American groups had long used the future Chickasaw County for millennia before the coming of European adventurers.

An 1832 treaty finally made the area secure for settlement, and emigrants rapidly moved in.

Construction began that year on a brick courthouse on the village square, and a jail one block north.

The city of Houston was incorporated on May 9, 1837, and its first post office was authorized on December 5 of that same year.

During the following decade, the nearly-moribund economy slowly recovered, but poor roads across the area continued to hamper commerce and daily life.

To address this shortcoming, in 1866 the state authorized a second judicial district to be based in Okolona, while allowing the existing facilities in Houston to continue.

Also in 1909, an African American man, Robbie Daskin, was lynched for allegedly killing a preacher.

[5] Houston hosts the Mississippi Flywheel Festival in April and September of every year.

[7] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[12] The Houston Public Schools system is home to 11-time National Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge Championships.