Jacinto, founded in 1836, was named for the Battle of San Jacinto in the Texas Revolution. Jacinto was located in the geographic center of the original Tishomingo County, Mississippi. Within ten years of its founding, Jacinto became a flourishing town with stores, hotels, schools, churches, and taverns, serving as the center of government and commerce for the county. A skirmish occurred on September 7, 1863 in the vicinity of Jacinto between Confederate and Union Cavalry during the American Civil War. A post office operated under the name Jacinto from 1840 to 1909.