Westville, Mississippi, was the original county seat of Simpson County. Shortly after Simpson County was organized, a county seat was located and named Westville in honor of Colonel Cato West. The first courthouse was a small log building, then a frame courthouse was erected in 1827. In 1844 the courthouse burned and was replaced by a much larger building, which was also destroyed by fire in 1872, with all public records lost in that fire. The next courthouse was built of brick and was used until 1906, when the county seat was moved to Mendenhall. The 1850 census recorded 5 sawmills, 4 grist mills, 3 cotton gins, 2 tanneries, finishing shops, shoemaking, blacksmithing, and 2 saddlery shops. Schools were taught in and around Westville, and the first school building, Westville Academy, was not erected until 1850; Henry L Whitfield, later governor of Mississippi, served at one time as the school's principal. The coming of the railroad in 1900 brought drastic changes in population areas, and Westville was abandoned but not forgotten.