Marion County, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°08′N 85°37′W / 35.13°N 85.61°W
| Marion County, Tennessee | |
 Marion County Courthouse in Jasper
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 Location in the state of Tennessee |
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 Tennessee's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1817 |
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| Named for | Francis Marion[1] |
| Seat | Jasper |
| Largest city | Jasper |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
512 sq mi (1,327 km²) 498 sq mi (1,291 km²) 14 sq mi (36 km²), 2.72% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
28,237 57/sq mi (22/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 28,237. Its county seat is Jasper.[2]
Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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Geography [edit]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 512 square miles (1,327 km²), of which 498 square miles (1,291 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (2.72%) is water.
Adjacent counties [edit]
- Grundy County (north)
- Sequatchie County (northeast)
- Hamilton County (east)
- Dade County, Georgia (southeast)
- Jackson County, Alabama (southwest)
- Franklin County (west)
History [edit]
Marion County was established in 1817 from lands acquired from the Cherokee.
In 1779 Cherokee chief Dragging Canoe moved down the Tennessee River from Chickamauga Creek to Running Water creek, and helped establish the associated town of Nickajack in front of the entrance to Nickajack Cave. In 1794, this town was attacked and burned. This attack was led by Colonel James Orr of Nashville, Tennessee. The town was rebuilt and the Chickamauga Band of Indians continued to live here until 1838, when all remaining Indians were removed from Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia via the Trail of Tears.[3]
In the Spring of 1861, Robert Cravens of Chattanooga began mining saltpeter, the main ingredient of gunpowder, at Nickajack Cave. This operation was eventually taken over by the Confederate Niter Bureau. At one point, Nickajack Cave was one of the main sources of saltpeter for the Confederate States of America. Nickajack Cave was visited by thousands of Civil War troops, who moved up and down the Tennessee River on boats.[3]
Another important saltpeter mine during the Civil War was Monteagle Saltpeter Cave, located in Cave Cove, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Monteagle. During the Civil War, it was referred to as Battle Creek Cave. A 1917 visitor to the cave reported 25 or 30 old hoppers remaining in the cave.[4]
Demographics [edit]
As of the census[5] of 2010, there were 28,237 people, 11,403 households, and 8,030 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 12,954 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White(non-Hispanic) or European American, 3.6% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2010 [edit]
According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:
- 94.1% White(non-Hispanic)
- 2.9% Black
- 0.2% Native American
- 0.10% Asian
- 0.05% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- 1.5% Two or more races
- 1.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
The largest self-reported ancestry groups in Marion County are:[6] · English - 28% · Irish - 24% · German - 16% · Scotch-Irish - 6% · Scottish - 4% · Dutch - 4% · Italian - 4% · French (except Basque) - 2% · African - 2.9% · Welsh - 2%
In 2000 there were 11,403 households out of which 25.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18 and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. The female population was 50.9%.
As of 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $31,419, and the median income for a family was $36,351. Males had a median income of $30,236 versus $21,778 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,419. About 10.80% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.00% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.
Populated places [edit]
Municipalities [edit]
- Jasper
- Kimball
- Monteagle (also in Franklin and Grundy Counties)
- New Hope
- Orme
- Powells Crossroads
- South Pittsburg
- Whiteside (formerly Running Water)
- Whitwell
Unincorporated communities [edit]
Transportation [edit]
Airport [edit]
Marion County Airport, also known as Brown Field, is a county-owned, public-use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) southeast of the central business district of Jasper.[8]
Education [edit]
The schools in Marion County are:
- Jasper Elementary School
- Jasper Middle School
- Marion County High School
- Monteagle Elementary School
- South Pittsburg Elementary
- South Pittsburg High School
- Whitwell Elementary School
- Whitwell High School
Parks and natural features [edit]
Nickajack Cave in Marion County, located 0.6 miles south of Shellmound Station on the west side of the Tennessee River, is one of the most historical caves in Tennessee.[9] It is currently part of a park run by the city of New Hope. A paved hiking trail leads to an observation deck at the entrance to the cave where visitors can watch the bats leave the cave at dusk.[10] The cave was used by tourists and as a show cave, but in 1968 the cave was flooded when Tennessee Valley Authority constructed Nickajack Dam 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream to replace the aging Hales Bar Dam.
Notable people [edit]
- Artist Jon Coffelt (b. May 16, 1963) was born in Dunlap, Tennessee, raised in Griffith Creek and now lives and works in New York City.
- Dragging Canoe, Cherokee leader, lived in the town of Running Water at the mouth of Running Water creek on the Tennessee River.
- Sequoyah, Cherokee scholar, lived in the Marion County area. Sequoyah is famous for developing a Cherokee alphabet, making the Cherokee Nation literate in their own language. A bust honoring Sequoyah is in the town of South Pittsburgh in front of the Beene Pearson Public Library.
- Peter Turney, Governor of Tennessee and Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, was born in Jasper.
Media and communications [edit]
Marion County is served by numerous local, regional and national media outlets which reach approximately one million people in four states including: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.
Newspapers [edit]
The Chattanooga Times Free Press, the area's only daily newspaper, is published every morning. It was effectively formed in 1999 from two papers that had been bitter rivals for half a century, the Times and the News-Free Press. The Times was once owned by Adolph Ochs, who later bought the New York Times. The Times had been the morning paper and had a generally more liberal editorial page. The News-Free Press, whose name was the result of an earlier merger, was an afternoon daily and its editorials were more conservative than those in the Times. In 1999, the Free Press was bought by an Arkansas company, WEHCO Media, publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which then bought The Times from the Ochs heirs. The Times Free Press is the only known newspaper in the United States to have 2 editorial pages, each reflecting opposite ends of the political spectrum. The Times' editorial page, which is liberal, is on the left page and the Free Press' editorial page, which is conservative, is on the right page.[11]
The Jasper Journal is a weekly news publication that covers news from in and around the county including a community calendar. The Journal features stories from around the county and features such as the "Whitwell Progress" which covers happenings specific to Whitwell, Tennessee. The Jasper Journal is published by Marion County Newspapers, Inc. located in South Pittsburg, TN. Online
The South Pittsburg Hustler is also a weekly news publication that is also published by Marion County Newspapers, Inc. "The Hustler," as it's commonly called by local residents, covers stories from around Marion County, but is more specific to South Pittsburg, TN.
Online media [edit]
MarionCountyMessenger the website "MarionCountyMessenger.com" is an online media outlet that concentrates on news from in and around Marion County and the Sequatchie Valley. The publisher is Carmichael Media, headed by Logan Carmichael who previously was a news writer and reporter for WPLZ radio in Chattanooga, TN and has been a longtime radio news director in Marion County. Launched in December 2010, MarionCountyMessenger.com, which is updated daily, has proven to be a pace-setter in the rapidly-developing field of Internet news publishing or web-only newspapers and has drawn a wide following and readership.
MarionCountyNews.net the website "MarionCountyNews.net" is the online site for Marion County Newspapers, Inc. Stories from both the Jasper Journal and South Pittsburg Hustler are featured on the website. The website is updated several times weekly with local news and information.
Radio [edit]
Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, TN Arbitron radio market. The following radio stations are licensed to cities within Marion County:
- AM
- WEPG 910 AM – Contemporary Country (Licensed to South Pittsburg, TN)
- WTNW 820 AM – Southern Gospel (Licensed to Jasper, TN)
- FM
- WUUQ 97.3 – Classic Country Q-97.3/99.3 (Licensed to South Pittsburg, TN)
- WJCR-LP-94.9 - Jasper Christ-Centered Radio (Licensed to Jasper, TN)
Television [edit]
Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, TN DMA. Cable TV companies in Marion County include Charter Communications and Trinity Cable
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Patsy Beene, "Marion County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 11 March 2013.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ a b "Caves of Chattanooga" by Larry E. Matthews, 2007, Published by the National Speleological Society, ISBN 978-1-879961-27-2
- ^ Marion O. Smith, Confederate Niter District Eight: Middle Tennessee & Northwest Georgia, 2011.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genealogyInfo.php?locIndex=12543
- ^ Based on 2000 census data
- ^ FAA Airport Master Record for APT (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 11 February 2010.
- ^ Barr, Thomas C., Jr. (1961). Caves of Tennessee.
- ^ Matthews, Larry E. (2007). Caves of Chattanooga. National Speleological Society. ISBN 978-1-879961-27-2.
- ^ "Our unique editorial variety". timesfreepress.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
External links [edit]
- Marion County Chamber of Commerce
- Marion County Schools
- Marion County, TNGenWeb - free genealogy resources for the county
- Marion County at the Open Directory Project
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Grundy County | Sequatchie County | |
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| Franklin County |  |
Hamilton County | ||
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| Jackson County, Alabama | Dade County, Georgia |
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