McNairy County, Tennessee

History

McNairy County was formed in 1823 from parts of Hardin County, and was named for Judge John McNairy.

Purdy was the county seat of McNairy County until 1890. Since then, Selmer has been the county seat.

During the Civil War, McNairy County was among the most divided counties in Tennessee. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, McNairy County voted to secede by a margin of 1,318 to 586. However, earlier on February 9, 1861, McNairy County voters had voted against holding a secession convention by a margin of 916 to 811. Despite the strong overall support for secession, there was a strong Unionist minority in the northern half adjacent to solidly pro-Union Henderson County.

The history of McNairy County also includes a very small, almost-unheard-of school. The Trantham School, listed on the 1940 census, operated from 1922 through 1948, with a single teacher serving grades 1 through 8.

Sheriff Buford Pusser

Buford Pusser served as the sheriff of McNairy County from 1964 to 1970. The courthouse and jail in Selmer were his base of operations. He gained prominence for his fight against illegal distilleries, bootleggers, gambling establishments, and corruption in the county. His story has been made famous in the Walking Tall series of movies starring Joe Don Baker, Bo Svenson, Brian Dennehy, and Dwayne Johnson, and in numerous documentaries and books. However, in August 2025, following a three-year investigation conducted together with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the local district attorney's office concluded that Pusser killed his wife, Pauline Mullins Pusser, in 1967.

Newspapers

The oldest existing business in McNairy County is its newspaper, the Independent Appeal, which was founded as the McNairy County Independent in 1902. It is located in Selmer.

In 2008, Tom Evans, a former reporter and photographer for the Independent Appeal, formed his own weekly newspaper, The McNairy County News.

School District

The schools fall under the McNairy County School District. The superintendent is Greg Martin The district is a public school district, serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. It serves over 4,000 student with 8 schools.

Schools

;Elementary Schools

• Adamsville Elementary School
  • Mr. Danny Combs, Principal
• Bethel Springs Elementary School
  • Mr. Terry Moore, Principal
• Michie Elementary School
  • Dr. Matt Alred, Principal
• Ramer Elementary School
  • Dr. Sondra Kiser, Principal
• Selmer Elementary School
  • Mrs. Pamela Simon, Principal ;Middle Schools
• Selmer Middle School
  • Dr. Brenda Armstrong, Principal ;High Schools
• Adamsville High School
  • Mr. Steve Killingsworth, Principal
• McNairy Central High School
  • Dr. Jerry Pyron, Principal

Board of education

The district's board of education has 7 members elected from each of the 7 districts that make up McNairy County.

Controversies

The Selmer Elementary School principal failed to report abuse claims after evidence revealed Principal Simon was notified of abuse allegations on numerous occasions between October 2021 and December 2021. The report states that Simon did not notify the Department of Children Services of these claims, which as a school employee is a violation of Tennessee law as a mandatory reporter.

A McNairy County school board member was charged with choking his teen co-worker in May 2023.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 564 sqmi, of which 563 sqmi is land and 0.8 sqmi (0.1%) is water.

The major highways U.S. Route 64 (east-west) and U.S. Route 45 (north-south) pass through McNairy County and intersect in Selmer. Between the late 1990s and mid 2010s, both highways were upgraded to four lane divided highways, giving the county quicker access to the surrounding areas. McNairy County's position on Route 64 places it on the historic Lee Highway, which stretches from New York to San Francisco.

State Highways 22 and 57 also pass through the county. SR 22 along the eastern portion intersecting with US 64 in Adamsville, and SR 57 through the southern portion intersecting with US 45 in Eastview. Highways 22 and 57 intersect as well in Michie.

Adjacent counties

• Chester County (north)
• Hardin County (east)
• Alcorn County, Mississippi (south)
• Hardeman County (west)

State protected areas

• Big Hill Pond State Park

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 25,866 people, 10,716 households, and 6,724 families residing in the county.

The median age was 44.5 years, with 21.1% of residents under the age of 18 and 22.1% aged 65 years or older; for every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.8 males.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 10,716 households in the county, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.2% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 12,268 housing units, of which 12.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.7% were owner-occupied and 24.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

The racial makeup of the county was 88.9% White, 6.0% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian,

Racial and ethnic composition

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 24,653 people, 9,980 households, and 7,135 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 /mi2. There were 11,219 housing units at an average density of 20 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 92.22% White, 6.23% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,980 households, out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,154, and the median income for a family was $36,045. Males had a median income of $30,028 versus $21,450 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,385. About 11.80% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 20.80% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and attractions

McNairy County is the site of 5,000 acre Big Hill Pond State Park, which is forested with timberland and hardwood bottomland. The county is also the location of the Coon Creek Science Center, a notable fossil site, located in Leapwood over the Coon Creek Formation, which preserves Late Cretaceous marine shells and vertebrate remains (such as mosasaurs) left there 70 million years ago.

Communities

Cities

• Adamsville (partly in Hardin County)
• Bethel Springs
• Ramer
• Selmer (county seat and largest city)

Towns

• Eastview
• Finger
• Guys
• Hornsby (mostly in Hardeman County)
• Milledgeville (partial)
• Michie
• Stantonville

Census-designated place

• Chewalla

Unincorporated communities

• Acton
• Falcon (neighborhood in Selmer)
• Leapwood
• McNairy
• Purdy
• Pocahontas (mostly in Hardeman County)

Politics

McNairy County is currently overwhelmingly Republican. Even before the rapid trend of the upland South away from the Democratic Party, McNairy County – though not to the same extent as nearby Wayne, Henderson and Hardin Counties – was a Unionist Republican enclave in historically Democratic West Tennessee. Research in the 1910s suggested that Republicanism in Southern states tended to be associated with areas having less productive soils. In west central Tennessee, which includes McNairy County, soils are shallow, humus-poor and easily erodible Highland Rim soils, which were much less suitable for plantation farming than the rest of Middle and West Tennessee.

References

• Official site
• McNairy County Chamber of Commerce
• Reminiscences of the Early Settlement and Early Settlers of McNairy County, Tennessee
• Let’s Call It Finger: A History of North McNairy County and Finger, Tennessee and Its Surrounding Communities
• A History of Mount Carmel Cemetery and Meeting House, McNairy County, Tennessee

References

1. "Mayor's Office".
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4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
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7. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnmcnair/PURDYTOWN.htm The Death Song of Purdy], by Nancy Wardlow Kennedy
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11. Janet Rail, [http://www.sheriffbufordpusser.com/history2.htm "A Man Who 'Walked Tall' in McNairy County,"] {{webarchive. link. (May 23, 2010 SheriffBufordPusser.com. Accessed via Archive.org: October 23, 2013.)
12. (31 August 2025). "Sheriff Who Inspired 'Walking Tall' Movie Killed His Wife, Inquiry Says".
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28. (February 23, 2022). "Police: Selmer Elementary principal failed to report abuse claims".
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