Walnut Grove is a town in Leake County, Mississippi, United States.

Walnut Grove received a telephone franchise in 1927, and was connected to the Forest exchange.

[6] In 1981, William Grady Sims, was elected as mayor of Walnut Grove and was repeatedly re-elected, serving until 2012.

By 2006 the town annexed the property of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, which had been constructed nearby in the county in 2001.

As the facility was privately owned, although operated under contract to the state, it made payments to the city in lieu of taxes.

[2] Numerous investigations of conditions at the prison resulted in a class-action suit filed in 2010 in federal court against its management and the state.

[8] In October 2011, he was ordered by the state auditor to pay "$31,530 for using city employees and equipment to work on private prisons in the area, including the one he ran.

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

The community's town hall, post office, and library are in the central part of Walnut Grove.

[10] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 510 people, 286 households, and 172 families residing in the town.

In 2001, the privately owned Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility was opened in unincorporated county land after being constructed for private operation under contract with the state; it was designed for youth offenders of 18 and under in age.

The Town of Walnut Grove has an alderman/mayor form of government, with the mayor voting in case of a tie.

[citation needed] The mayor is Brian Gomillion, elected in 2013, and the Board of Aldermen includes: Jerry Darby, Teresa Darby, Pamela Gill, Shantell Edwards,[18] Cindy Jones, and Mike Johnson.