Thomas R Machnitzki
1940s-1958
Hernando, the Marrying Capital
Postwar Hernando drew couples from near and far until a 1958 waiting-period law ended the chapel boom.
Thomas R Machnitzki
This story is sourced from the DeSoto County Genealogical Society history of DeSoto County. Discover DeSoto does not invent heritage facts outside that record.
Source: DeSoto County Genealogical Society, About DeSoto County: A Brief History of DeSoto County Mississippi
After World War II, Hernando rapidly became known as the "Marrying Capital" of the nation as couples poured into town from everywhere to say their vows. Two women from Las Vegas rented space and opened a Marriage Chapel with a complete ceremony for a fee. Life Magazine sent reporters to cover the story.
The practice ended on June 29, 1958, after the state legislature passed a blood-test and three-day waiting-period law. Decades later, visitors to Hernando still remarked that they had been married there.
From the visual record
Images connected to this story
The DeSoto County Courthouse at the center of Hernando's historic square.
The courthouse lawn and surrounding street grid in modern Hernando.
The Historic DeSoto Museum in Hernando.
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