Polk County, Tennessee

History

Prior to the settlement of the Europeans, Polk County was inhabited by the Cherokee, and before them, thousands of years of indigenous cultures. The portion of Polk County north of the Hiwassee River was ceded by the Cherokee Nation to the US in the Calhoun Treaty of 1819. The rest of the county was part of the Ocoee District. According to the original border surveying plan, much of the land that would become eastern Polk County, including Copperhill and Ducktown, would have belonged to North Carolina. In 1819, surveyors were instructed to follow the highest ridges to the Georgia line. However, at Unicoi Gap surveyors immediately turned south for 15 miles, reportedly because they ran out of liquor and heard there was a moonshine still at the Georgia line. The Cherokee were forcibly removed from here in 1838-1839 and taken to Indian Territory, in a passage that became known as the Trail of Tears.

Polk County was created by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly on November 23, 1839. The location for the county seat of Benton was chosen by an election held on February 4, 1840.

Copper was discovered in Ducktown in 1843. By the 1850s, a large mining operation was underway in southeastern Polk County; the area became known as the Copper Basin. This operation continued until 1987, when the last mine closed.

During the Civil War, Polk County was one of only six counties in East Tennessee to support the Confederacy, voting in favor of Tennessee's ordinance of secession in June 1861. During the war, the copper mines supplied about 90% of the Confederacy's copper; their capture by Union forces after the Confederate defeat at the Battles for Chattanooga in November 1863 proved a major blow to the Confederacy. On November 29, 1864, a series of raids by Confederate bushwhacker John P. Gatewood in Polk County resulted in at least 16 deaths.

US-64 through the Ocoee Gorge was built around 1926. It was not paved until the 1940s. The East Tennessee Power Company, later the Tennessee Electric Power Company (TEPCO), constructed two hydroelectric dams on the Ocoee River, Ocoee Dams 1 and 2, which were completed in 1911 and 1913, respectively. TEPCO was later purchased by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), founded in 1933. It constructed an additional dam on this river, Ocoee Dam No. 3, completed in 1943, as well as the powerhouse for Apalachia Dam on the Hiwassee River in northern Polk County, which was also completed in 1943.

In 1973, a large music festival known as the "Midwest Monster Peace Jubilee and Music Festival", commonly known as the "Monster Peace Jubilee", was planned by Indiana-based promoter C.F. Manifest Inc. to take place on a 1,300-acre farm north of Benton on Labor Day of that year. The farm was owned by the county executive. (It has been redeveloped as the Chilhowee Gliderport.) Nicknamed "Polkstock" due to its resemblance to 1969's Woodstock in Bethel, New York, the event was expected to attract approximately 500,000 people. Locals strongly opposed it, especially members of the religious communities, who believed the festival would bring much of the perceived rock music culture. The festival was eventually halted by the state circuit court, on the request of the district attorney, who said that the festival would constitute a public nuisance, due to drug, health, and traffic problems.

On May 27, 1983, a massive explosion at a secret illegal fireworks factory killed eleven workers. The operation, located on a bait farm a few miles south of Benton, was unlicensed. It produced M-80 and M-100 fireworks, both illegal, and was the largest illegal fireworks operation in the United States to date.

The Ocoee Whitewater Center was the site of the canoe slalom events for the 1996 Summer Olympics, based in Atlanta, Georgia.

In April 2019, Polk County was the first county in Tennessee to become a "gun sanctuary", or Second Amendment sanctuary.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 442 sqmi, of which 435 sqmi is land and 7.7 sqmi (1.7%) is water. As the most southeastern county in Tennessee, it is the state's only county to share borders with both Georgia and North Carolina.

Most of the terrain of Polk County is mountainous, constituting part of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, among the southern Appalachian Mountains. The western edge of the county is part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, which comprise about one-sixth of the county's land area. The Copper Basin is located in the extreme southeastern part of Polk County. Big Frog Mountain, at an elevation of 4,224 ft, is the county's highest point; west of Big Frog Mountain there is no higher point until the Black Hills of South Dakota or the Guadalupe Mountains of Texas. About 80% of the land area of Polk County is now part of the Cherokee National Forest, covering most of the Blue Ridge portion of the county except for the Copper Basin and other small tracts. Most of the Ridge-and-Valley portion of the county is privately owned.

The Ocoee River, site of whitewater slalom events in the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympic Games, runs through Polk County and is vital to one of the county's major industries, whitewater rafting. The calmer Hiwassee River, a tributary of the Tennessee River which flows through northern Polk County, is also used for rafting and tubing. The Conasauga River, the only river in Tennessee that is not part of the Mississippi River Basin, is located in southwestern Polk County. Most of the population of Polk County lives in the Ridge-and-Valley western portion of the county and the Copper Basin.

Adjacent counties

• Monroe County (northeast)
• Cherokee County, North Carolina (east)
• Fannin County, Georgia (southeast)
• Murray County, Georgia (southwest)
• Bradley County (west)
• McMinn County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Big Frog Wilderness (part)
• Cherokee National Forest (part)

State protected areas

• William L. Davenport Refuge
• Ducktown Basin Museum and Burra Burra Mine (state historic site)
• Fourth Fractional Township Wildlife Management Area
• Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 17,544 people and 5,239 families residing in the county. The median age was 46.8 years; 18.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.9 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.

There were 7,160 households in the county, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.9% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,561 housing units, of which 16.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.8% were owner-occupied and 21.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 16,825 people, 6,653 households, and 4,755 families residing in the county. The population density was 38.7 /mi2. There were 7,991 housing units at an average density of 18.4 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.53% White, 0.38% Native American, 0.30% African American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, and 1.21% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origins, regardless of race, constituted 1.38% of the population.

There were 6,653 households, out of which 26.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.14% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 20 to 24, 10.20% from 25 to 34, 21.60% from 35 to 49, 21.70% from 50 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years.

2000 census

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $29,643, and the median income for a family was $36,370. Males had a median income of $27,703 versus $21,010 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,025. About 9.70% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

For most of its history, the mines in the Copper Basin were the largest source of employment in Polk County.{{cite thesis|last=Brooks|first=Jeanne M.|date=April 17, 1990|title=Polk County: An Appalachian Perspective

Education

Public schools in Polk County are operated by the Polk County Schools district. High Schools include Copper Basin High School and Polk County High School. The district has one middle school, Chilhowee Middle. The district also has three elementary schools, Benton Elementary, South Polk Elementary and Copper Basin Elementary.

Communities

Cities

• Copperhill
• Ducktown

Town

• Benton (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Conasauga
• Delano (shared with McMinn County)
• Farner
• Ocoee

Unincorporated communities

• Ball Play
• Belltown
• Benton Springs
• Benton Station
• Harbuck
• Oldfort
• Parksville
• Reliance
• Turtletown

Politics

Like East Tennessee, Polk has always leaned Republican, though to a lesser extent than most counties in the region. However, during the Great Depression and World War II, this changed drastically, with Polk County giving 92.7% of the vote to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 (it swung hard to the GOP between 1944 and 1948). Today, Polk County is very conservative, giving over 80% of its popular vote to Donald Trump in 2024.

Transportation

Highways

• [[File:US 64.svg|25px|link=U.S. Route 64]] US-64
• [[File:US 74.svg|25px|alt=|link=U.S. Route 74]] US-74
• [[File:US 411.svg|25px|link=U.S. Route 411]] US-411
• [[File:Tennessee 40.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 60]] SR-40
• [[File:Tennessee 30.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 40]] SR-30
• [[File:Tennessee 68.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 68]] SR-68
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 74.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 74]] SR-74
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 123.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 123]] SR-123
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 163.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 163]] SR-163
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 313.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 313]] SR-313
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 314.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 314]] SR-314
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 315.svg|25px|alt=|link=Tennessee State Route 123]] SR-315

Air

Polk County is served by Martin Campbell Field, a general aviation airport. The Chilhowee Gliderport is an FAA-licensed gliderport located near Benton.

Notable people

• Stan Beaver, musician.
• Landrum Bolling, journalist.
• Joel Eaves, basketball coach.
• G. Earl Guinn, university president.
• Elizabeth Hamer Kegan, librarian.
• John E. Hutton, U.S. representative.
• J. Chris Newton, politician.

References

References

1. Marian Bailey Presswood, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1066 Polk County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: March 19, 2013.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Voyles, Bruce. (2025-12-03). "State lines & expensive moonshine". [[Community Newspapers Inc.]].
5. Voyles, Bruce. (2025-06-18). "Rivers and roads in these mountains". [[Community Newspapers Inc.]].
6. James B. Jones Jr. [https://www.tntech.edu/wrc/DuckRiverManual/PRE__TVA.pdf ''Towards an Understanding of the History and Material Culture of Pre-TVA Hydroelectric Development in Tennessee, 1900-1933'']{{Dead link. (May 2020)
7. Tennessee Valley Authority, ''The Hiwassee Valley Projects Volume 2: The Apalachia, Ocoee No. 3, Nottely, and Chatuge Projects'', Technical Report No. 5 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948), pp. 1-13, 40, 47, 63, 295, 494.
8. (August 24, 1973). "Judge Orders Festival Halted". [[Kingsport Times-News]].
9. (September 4, 2007). "Beyond The Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science". Harper Collins.
10. Bowers, Larry C.. (April 21, 2019). "Polk is first county in state to be 'gun sanctuary'". [[Cleveland Daily Banner]].
11. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
12. Carey, Bill. (October 2017). "Conasauga River nearly became important in Tennessee history". Tennessee Magazine.
13. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates".
14. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
15. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
16. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
17. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
20. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
21. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
22. (June 19, 2015). "Copper Mines to Whitewater Rafting: Some River History in Polk County Tennessee". Quest Expeditions.
23. . (April 29, 2016). ["One of the Tamest Waterways in Southeast Tennessee for Beginners to Experience Whitewater Fun"](https://www.hiwasseeblueway.com/2016/04/one-tamest-waterways-southeast-tennessee-beginners-experience-whitewater-fun/). *Hiwassee River Blueway*.
24. . (). ["The History of Ocoee River in Polk County Tennessee"](https://theblueridgehighlander.com/history/tennessee_mountains/ocoee_river/index.php).
25. Ahillen, Steve. (July 4, 2017). "Ocoee celebrates new contract to keep whitewater flowing". [[Knoxville News Sentinel]].
26. (November 12, 2016). "Ocoee River draws throngs of thrill-seeking rafters". [[The Tennessean]].
27. Coco, Claudia. (June 6, 2019). "Rafting on the Ocoee River brings millions in revenue for Polk County". [[WRCB-TV]].
28. Kampis, Johnny. "Top Ten Places to Go in Tennessee". USA Today.
29. (January 2021). "POLK CO SCHOOLS". Polk County Board of Education.
30. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
31. . ["MARTIN CAMPBELL FIELD - 1A3"](http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/aeronautics/airports/COPPERHILL_14.htm). *[[Tennessee Department of Transportation]]*.
32. {{FAA-airport
33. "J. Chris Newton". Tennessee General Assembly.