Toone is located in former Chickasaw country. The first Europeans to visit the area arrived on flatboats via the Hatchie River as early as 1725. By 1830 the community was populated enough that it was included in the United States census. In 1856, Toone developed into a railroad town with businesses opening up around the railroad. Brick manufacturing became the major industry, and many homes still have original Toone bricks in their architecture. During the Civil War, the town served as an encampment for the Union Army and saw one small skirmish for rail line control.
Kilgore Flares Company explosion
On September 14, 2010, an explosion and flash fire occurred at the Kilgore Flares Company plant near Toone. Six workers were injured in the mishap, three of them critically. Another accident at the facility in 2001 caused the death of one employee. Kilgore manufactures airborne expendable decoy flares for the US military.
As of the census of 2000, there were 330 people, 107 households, and 80 families residing in the town. The population density was 397.7 people per square mile. There were 115 housing units at an average density of 138.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 65.45% White, 34.24% African American, and 0.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.30% of the population. There were 107 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couplesliving together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.05. In the town, the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 127.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,500, and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $16,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,956. About 12.8% of families and 30.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.3% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Toone has a bank and a post office in its downtown area. Toone is home to the Kilgore Flare Company. The company has operated near Toone since the early 1920s. They manufacture air-deployable decoy flares for use by U.S. military aircraft on a facility on the town's outskirts. An additional testing ground is also located near the town.
