Fentress County, Tennessee

History

Fentress County was formed on November 28, 1823, from portions of Morgan, Overton and White counties. The resulting county was named for James Fentress (1763–1843), who served as speaker of the state house, chairman of Montgomery County Court, and commissioner to select seats for Haywood, Carroll, Gibson and Weakley counties in West Tennessee.

Fentress County was the site of several saltpeter mines. Saltpeter is the main ingredient of gunpowder and was obtained by leaching the earth from local caves. The largest mine was in York Cave, near the Wolf River Post Office. At one time, twenty-five large leaching vats were in operation in this cave. According to Barr (1961) this cave was mined during the Civil War. Buffalo Cave near Jamestown was also a major mine with twelve leaching vats. Manson Saltpeter Cave in Big Indian Creek Valley was a smaller operation with four leaching vats. These caves may also have been mined during the War of 1812, as saltpeter mining was widespread in Kentucky and Tennessee during that era.

In the runup to the American Civil War, when Tennessee Governor Harris asked the State Legislature for a vote of secession, the two representatives from Fentress County (Reese T. Hildreth and R. H. Bledsoe) voted for secession. Nevertheless, in Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Fentress County voted by a margin of 651 to 128 to remain in the Union. However, earlier on February 9, 1861, Fentress County voters had voted to hold a secession convention by a very narrow margin of 334 to 325, becoming the only county that voted for the convention in February but to remain in the Union in June.

Alvin York (1887–1964), a hero at the Meuse-Argonne Offensive during World War I, was born and lived in Fentress County. He established the Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute in Jamestown in 1924. York's house and farm are part of Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park in Pall Mall.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 499 sqmi, of which 499 sqmi is land and 0.3 sqmi (0.06%) is water.

Fentress County includes part of Dale Hollow Reservoir and is drained by forks of the Obey and Cumberland Rivers.

The county is the easternmost county in the United States to observe Central Time.

Unlike most of Tennessee, a sizable part of northern Fentress County is outside of the Sun Belt due to a past error surveying the northern border of Middle and East Tennessee. Pall Mall in particular is north of the Sun Belt. The Sun Belt is defined by the Kinder Institute as being south of 36°30'N latitude, which was intended to be the northern border of Tennessee and is the actual northern border of West Tennessee.

Adjacent counties

• Pickett County (north)
• Scott County (east/EST Border)
• Morgan County (southeast/EST Border)
• Cumberland County (south)
• Overton County (west)
• Putnam County (southwest)

National protected area

• Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (part)

State protected areas

• Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Colditz Cove State Natural Area
• Pickett State Forest (part)
• Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area
• Scott State Forest (part)
• Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park
• Skinner Mountain Wildlife Management Area
• Twin Arches State Natural Area (part)

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 18,489 people, 7,673 households, and 4,929 families residing in the county, and the median age was 47.6 years.

20.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.7 males age 18 and over.

As shown in the table, the racial makeup of the county was 94.87% White (non-Hispanic), 0.14% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 2.96% Other/Mixed races, and 1.71% Hispanic or Latino residents of any race.

There were 7,673 households in the county, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.7% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 9,201 housing units, of which 16.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.9% were owner-occupied and 23.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.0%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 17,959 people, 7,326 households, and 4,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 /mi2. There were 8,927 housing units at an average density of 15 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In the county's 7,326 households, 23.1% had children under the age of 18, 57.30% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,238, and the median income for a family was $28,856. Males had a median income of $23,606 versus $18,729 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,999. 19.50% of families and 23.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.80% of those under age 18 and 20.50% of those over age 64.

Communities

Cities

• Allardt
• Jamestown

Census-designated places

• Clarkrange
• Grimsley

Unincorporated communities

• Armathwaite
• Banner Springs
• Forbus
• Pall Mall
• Sharp Place
• Wilder
• Zenith

Politics

Like much of East Tennessee, Fentress County is powerfully Republican, and has generally been favorable to that party ever since the Civil War. Since then, only two Democrats, Southerners Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 have carried Fentress County. Since 2000, the county has shifted further and further to the right.

References

References

1. Lorene Cargile, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=461 Fentress County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: June 27, 2013.
2. {{cite gnis
3. "County Formation in Acts of Tennessee: Fentress County". Tennessee State Library and Archives.
4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". United States Census Bureau.
5. "Census - Geography Profile: Fentress County, Tennessee". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
7. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
8. Thomas C. Barr, Jr., "Caves of Tennessee", Bulletin 64 of the Tennessee Division of Geology, 1961.
9. "Tennessee Secession Referendum, 1861". Vote Archive.
10. (March 21, 1861). "Tennessee Vote on Secession Convention, 1861". [[The Fayetteville Observer.
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