Rienzi, 12 miles south of the present town of Corinth, is one of the oldest towns in the old county. In the early years of the 18th century, it was a trade center and up through the Civil War, it served a large portion in the territory nearby. One of the most bloody battles of the war was fought near Rienzi, just after the Battle of Corinth. It was a prosperous town long before Booneville was founded. Some of the pioneer families were: Greens, Dilworths, Daltons, Youngs, Perrys, Kemps, Fobas, Williams and Ellis. Corinth and Rienzi were rivals in the reconstruction period in the years of 1860s and 1870s.

Submitted by Cindy Nelson