Batesville was named after Jim Bates, a conductor on the Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad, and a prominent Methodist minister in the county. The town received its charter in 1866 and growth happened due to the MT line laying tracks directly through Batesville. As a result, the once prosperous steamboat traffic of nearby ports in Panola and Belmont began to shift to railroad travel, and Batesville reaped the benefits as a successful trade center.
Batesville maintains a variety of attractions including: