Hickman County, Tennessee

History

Hickman County was named for Edwin Hickman, an explorer and surveyor who was killed in an Indian attack at Defeated Creek in 1791.

The county was established in 1807, and named for Hickman at the suggestion of Robert Weakley, a legislator who had been a member of Hickman's surveying party. The original county was vast, extending to the southern border of the state. Hickman County was reduced in extent when it partially contributed to the formations of four counties: Wayne and Lawrence Counties in 1817, Perry County in 1819, and Lewis County in 1843.

Hickman and the Duck River valley was originally claimed by the Chickasaw people of West Tennessee and northern Mississippi. Among its first white settlers was John Gordon, the famous "Captain of the Spies" who later fought at Horseshoe Bend and at Pensacola under Andrew Jackson.

Gordon acquired land in Chickasaw territory in what is now Hickman County on the banks of the Duck River, where, in a partnership with Chief William "Chooshemataha" Colbert, he operated a ferry and Indian trading post for settlers traveling on the Natchez Trace.

The trace was a war-path later made into a federal road for settlers moving from Tennessee to the lower Mississippi territory. The Chickasaw ceded the land to Tennessee in 1805 and Gordon kept the estate, moving his family there in 1812 and eventually amassing a plantation of over 1500 acres. The Gordon House still stands by the Duck River today, now maintained by the Natchez Trace National Parkway. Throughout the 19th century, the county's industry revolved around iron furnaces, which made use of the county's natural supply of high-quality iron ore.

Early furnaces included Napier's furnace near Aetna, which was destroyed by Union soldiers during the Civil War, and furnaces built by the Standard Coal Company in the 1880s.

Hickman natives include songwriter Beth Slater Whitson and Grand Ole Opry personality Minnie Pearl.

The county is the subject of the Johnny Cash song "Saturday Night In Hickman County", and the Hickman community of Grinder's Switch is indirectly mentioned in the song, "The South's Gonna Do It Again", by the Charlie Daniels Band (one line refers to the band Grinderswitch, and their song "Right On Time").

In 1939, Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative was chartered with its headquarters in Centerville.

On October 10, 2025, an explosion at the Accurate Energetic Systems explosives facility near the border with Humphreys County left sixteen people dead and at least four others injured.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 613 sqmi, of which 612 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.02%) is water. The Duck River, the Piney River, and many creeks, large and small, run through Hickman County.

Adjacent counties

• Dickson County (north)
• Williamson County (east)
• Maury County (southeast)
• Lewis County (south)
• Perry County (west)
• Humphreys County (northwest)

National protected area

• Natchez Trace Parkway (part)

State protected areas

• Beaver Dam Creek Wildlife Management Area
• MTSU Wildlife Management Area
• John Noel State Natural Area

Waterways

• Duck River
• Piney River
• Panther Branch
• Buck Branch

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 24,925 people and 5,611 families residing in the county; the median age was 42.2 years, with 20.8% of residents under the age of 18 and 17.8% of residents 65 years of age or older.

For every 100 females there were 111.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 111.5 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian,

There were 9,237 households in the county, of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.2% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 10,457 housing units, of which 11.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.9% were owner-occupied and 23.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,295 people, 8,081 households, and 5,955 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 /mi2. There were 8,904 housing units at an average density of 14 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 93.71% White, 4.53% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,081 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,013, and the median income for a family was $36,342. Males had a median income of $29,411 versus $21,185 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,446. About 11.60% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Town

• Centerville

Census-designated places

• Bon Aqua Junction
• Lyles
• Wrigley

Unincorporated communities

• Aetna
• Bon Aqua
• Bond
• Bucksnort
• Buffalo
• Goodrich
• Grinder's Switch
• Littlelot
• Nunnelly
• Only
• Pleasantville
• Primm Springs
• Shady Grove
• Swan Bluff
• Whitfield

Politics

Hickman County was long a Democratic stronghold, in line with much of Middle Tennessee. The county began shifting Republican in the mid-2000s, narrowly voting for George W. Bush in 2004, the first time it had supported a Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon's 49-state landslide in 1972. Since then, Hickman County has become reliably Republican in elections. In 2024, Donald Trump became the first Republican nominee to receive over 80 percent of the county's vote.

References

References

1. Edward Dotson, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=629 Hickman County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: October 17, 2013.
2. "List of ZIP Codes in Hickman County Tennessee". Zillow.
3. "U.S Census Bureau QuickFacts: Hickman County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. [[Executive Office of the President of the United States. (July 21, 2023). "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas".
6. [https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Bulletin-18-04.pdf OMB bulletin]
7. Summerlin, Cathy. (February 1, 1999). "Traveling Tennessee: A Complete Tour Guide to the Volunteer State from the Highlands of the Smoky Mountains to the Banks of the Mississippi River". Thomas Nelson Inc..
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9. "William Franklin Lyell's Medal of Honor". [[Tennessee State Museum]].
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11. (October 10, 2025). "Massive blast at military explosives plant in Tennessee leaves multiple people dead, several ‘unaccounted for’". [[CNN]].
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21. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
22. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
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