Clarksville, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat
of Montgomery County
, Tennessee
, United States
, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census
. Clarksville is the ninth fastest growing city in the nation and the principal central city of the Clarksville, TN-KY metropolitan statistical area, which consists of Montgomery County
, Stewart County, Tennessee, Christian County, Kentucky
, Trigg County, Kentucky
and is the 10th fastest growing Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the nation.
The city was incorporated in 1785, making it Tennessee's first incorporated city, and named for General
George Rogers Clark
, frontier fighter and Revolutionary War
hero, brother of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
.
Clarksville is one of the South's
most historic cities and the home of Austin Peay State University
; The Leaf-Chronicle
, the oldest newspaper in Tennessee; and neighbor to the Fort Campbell
, United States Army
base. Fort Campbell is the home of the 101st Airborne Division
(Air Assault), and is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) from downtown Clarksville, straddling the Tennessee
-Kentucky
state line. It is officially Fort Campbell, Kentucky due to the fact the base U.S. Post Office is on the Kentucky
side of the base; the majority of Fort Campbell is within the state of Tennessee
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 95.5 square miles (247.3 km²), of which, 94.9 square miles (245.8 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (0.71%) is water.
Clarksville is located on the northwest edge of the Highland Rim
, which surrounds the Nashville Basin
, and is 45 miles (72.4 km) northwest of Nashville
.
Clarksville was founded on the Cumberland River
near the confluence of the Cumberland and the Red River
. The Cumberland flows downstream from Nashville, some 40 miles (64.4 km) southeast of Clarksville. From its beginnings, the river was the city's commercial lifeline. Flat boats and, by the 1820s, steamboats carried cotton
, oats
, soybean
s and tobacco
, downstream to the Ohio River
and up the Ohio to Pittsburgh. More frequently, cargo went down the Ohio to the Mississippi River
and New Orleans. Both dark-fired and burley
tobacco are grown in the area, and European tobacco buyers helped make Clarksville the largest market in the world for dark-fired tobacco, particularly Type 22
, used in smokeless products. It was considered to have the highest nicotine content of all tobaccos in the 19th century.
To the northwest of Clarksville, lies the Fort Campbell Military Reservation, home of the 101st Airborne Division
. Much of Clarksville's economy can be attributed to Fort Campbell's presence (and Austin Peay State University
). Most of Fort Campbell is in Tennessee, mostly in Montgomery and Stewart counties. Its post office is in Kentucky.
Fort Campbell North is a Census-designated place
(CDP) in Christian County, Kentucky
, United States
. It contains most of the housing for the Fort Campbell Army
base. The population was 14,338 at the 2000 census.
Fort Campbell North is part of the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area
s used in the Clarksville area are: 37010, 37040, 37041, 37042, 37043, 37044, 37191.
Its Neighbor, Fort Campbell
, uses area code 270.
of 2000, there were 103,455 people, 36,969 households, and 26,950 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,090.6 people per square mile (421.1/km²). There were 40,041 housing units at an average density of 422.1 per square mile (163.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.91% White, 23.23% African American, 0.54% Native American, 2.16% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other races
, and 3.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.03% of the population. The census recorded 5,187 foreign-born residents in Clarksville.
There were 36,969 households out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples
living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 15.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,548, and the median income for a family was $41,421. Males had a median income of $29,480 versus $22,549 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,686. About 8.4% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
The area now known as Tennessee was first settled by Paleo-Indians nearly 11,000 years ago. The names of the cultural groups that inhabited the area between first settlement and the time of European contact are unknown, but several distinct cultural phases have been named by archaeologists, including Archaic, Woodland
, and Mississippian
whose chiefdoms were the cultural predecessors of the Muscogee people
who inhabited the Tennessee River Valley prior to Cherokee migration into the river's headwaters.
When Spanish explorers
first visited Tennessee, led by Hernando de Soto
in 1539–43, it was inhabited by tribes of Muscogee
and Yuchi
people. Possibly because of European diseases devastating the Native tribes, which would have left a population vacuum, and also from expanding European settlement in the north, the Cherokee
moved south from the area now called Virginia. As European colonists spread into the area, the native populations were forcibly displaced to the south and west, including all Muscogee and Yuchi peoples, the Chickasaw
, and Choctaw
. From 1838 to 1839, nearly 17,000 Cherokees were forced to march from "emigration depots" in Eastern Tennessee, such as Fort Cass
, to Indian Territory
west of Arkansas. This came to be known as the Trail of Tears
, as an estimated 4,000 Cherokees died along the way.
The area around Clarksville was first surveyed by Thomas Hutchins
in 1768.He identified Red Paint Hill, a rock bluff
at the confluence of the Cumberland
and Red
Rivers, as a navigational landmark.
In the years between 1771 and 1775, John Montgomery
, the namesake of the county, along with Kasper Mansker visited the area while on a hunting expedition. That same year in 1771, James Robertson
led a group of some twelve or thirteen families involved with the Regulator movement from near where present day Raleigh, North Carolina
now stands. In 1772, Robertson and the pioneers who had settled in Northeast Tennessee (along the Watauga River, the Doe River
, the Holston River
, and the Nolichucky River
met at Sycamore Shoals
to establish an independent regional government known as the Watauga Association
. However, in 1772, surveyors placed the land officially within the domain of the Cherokee
tribe, who required negotiation of a lease with the settlers. Tragedy struck as the lease was being celebrated, when a Cherokee warrior was murdered by a white man. Through diplomacy, Robertson made peace with the Cherokee
s, who threatened to expel the settlers by force if necessary.
In March 1775, land speculator and North Carolina judge Richard Henderson
met with more than 1,200 Cherokee
s at Sycamore Shoals, including Cherokee leaders such as Attacullaculla
, Oconostota
, and Dragging Canoe
. In the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals (also known as the Treaty of Watauga), Henderson purchased all the land lying between the Cumberland River
, the Cumberland Mountains
, and the Kentucky River
, and situated south of the Ohio River
in what is known as the Transylvania Purchase from the Cherokee Indians. The land thus delineated, 20 million acres (81000 km?), encompassed an area half as large as the present state of Kentucky. Henderson's purchase was in violation of North Carolina and Virginia law, as well as the Royal Proclamation of 1763
, which prohibited private purchase of American Indian land. Henderson may have mistakenly believed that a newer British legal opinion had made such land purchases legal.
All of present day Tennessee was once recognized as one single North Carolina county: Washington County, North Carolina. Created in 1777 from the western areas of Burke and Wilkes Counties, North Carolina, Washington County had as a precursor a Washington District of 1775-76, which was the first political entity named for the Commander-in-Chief of American forces in the Revolution.
brought a group of settlers from upper East Tennessee
via Daniel Boone
's "Wilderness Road
". Robertson would later build an iron plantation
in Cumberland Furnace
. A year later, in 1780, John Donelson
led a group of flat boats up the Cumberland River bound for the French trading settlement, French Lick (or Big Lick), that would later be Nashville
. When the boats reached Red Paint Hill, Moses Renfroe
, Joseph Renfroe, and Solomon Turpin, along with their families, branched off onto the Red River. They traveled to the mouth of Parson's Creek, near Port Royal
, and came ashore to settle down. However, an attack by Indians in the summer drove them back. (See Port Royal State Park
)
Clarksville was designated as a town to be settled in part by soldiers from the disbanded Continental Army that served under General George Washington
during the American Revolutionary War
. At the end of the war, the federal government lacked sufficient funds to repay the soldiers, so the Legislature of North Carolina , in 1790, designated the lands to the west of the state line as federal lands that could be used in the land grant program. Since the area of Clarksville had been surveyed and sectioned into plots, it was identified as a territory deemed ready for settlement. The land was available to be settled by the families of eligible soldiers as repayment of service to their country.
The development and culture of Clarksville has had an ongoing interdependence between the citizens of Clarksville and the military. The formation of the city is associated with the end of the American Revolutionary War. During the American Civil War
a large percent of the male population was depleted due to Union Army
victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
. Many Clarksville men were interned at Union prisoner of war (POW) camps. Clarksville also lost many native sons during World War I
(WWI). With the formation of Camp Campbell, later Fort Campbell
, during World War II
(WWII), the bonds of military influence were strengthened. Soldiers from Fort Campbell, Kentucky
have deployed in every military campaign since the formation of the post.
On January 16, 1784, John Armstrong
filed notice with the Legislature
of North Carolina
to create the town of Clarksville, named after General George Rogers Clark. Even before it was officially designated a town, lots had been sold. In October of 1785, Col. Robert Weakley laid off the town of Clarksville for Martin Armstrong and Col. Montgomery, and Weakley had the choice of lots for his services. He selected Lot #20 at the northeast corner of Spring and Main Streets. The town consisted of 20 'squares' of 140 lots and 44 out lots. The original Court House was on Lot #93, on the north side of Franklin Street between Front and Second Street. The Public Spring was on Lot #74, on the northeast corner of Spring and Commerce Streets. Weakley built the first cabin there in January of 1786, and about February or March, Col. Montgomery came there and had a cabin built, which was the second house in Clarksville. After an official survey by James Sanders
, Clarksville was founded by the North Carolina Legislature on December 29, 1785. It was the second town to be founded in the area. Armstrong's layout for the town consisted of 12 four-acre (16,000 m²) squares built on the hill overlooking the Cumberland as to protect against floods. The primary streets (from north to south) that went east-west were named Jefferson, Washington (now College Street), Franklin, Main, and Commerce streets. North-south streets (from the river eastward) were named Water (now Riverside Drive), Spring, First, Second, and Third streets.
The tobacco
trade in the area was growing larger every year and in 1789, Montgomery and Martin Armstrong
persuaded lawmakers to designate Clarksville as an inspection point for tobacco. In 1790, Isacc Rowe Peterson staked a claim to Dunbar Cave
, just northeast of downtown.
When Tennessee
was founded as a state on June 1, 1796, the area around Clarksville and to the east was named Tennessee County. (This county was established in 1788, by North Carolina.) Later, Tennessee County would be broken up into modern day Montgomery
and Robertson Counties, named to honor the men who first opened up the region for settlement.
and silversmith
. In 1820, steamboats begin to navigate the Cumberland, bringing hardware
, coffee
, sugar
, fabric
, and glass
. They also exported flour
, tobacco, cotton
, and corn
to ports like New Orleans
and Pittsburgh
along the Ohio and Mississippi
Rivers. Trade via land also grew as four main dirt roads were established, two to Nashville, one crossing the Red River via ferry
called the Kentucky Road, and Russellville
Road. In 1829, the first bridge connecting Clarksville to New Providence
was built over the Red River. Nine years later, the Clarksville-Hopkinsville
Turnpike was built. In 1855, Clarksville was incorporated as a city. Railroad service came to the town on October 1, 1859 in the form of the Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad
. The line would later connect with other railroads at Paris, Tennessee
and Guthrie, Kentucky
.
, the combined population of the city and the county was 20,000. The area was openly for slavery, as blacks worked in the tobacco fields. In 1861, both Clarksville and Montgomery County voted unanimously to join the Confederate States of America
. The proximity of the birthplace of Confederate President Jefferson Davis
gave the city a strong tie to the CSA, and both sides saw the city as strategic and important. Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston
set up a defense line around Clarksville expecting a land attack; however, the Union sent troops and gunboats down the Cumberland, and in 1862, captured Fort Donelson
, Fort Henry, and Clarksville. Between 1862 and 1865, the city would shift hands, but the Union would retain control of Clarksville to include control of the city's newspaper - The Leaf Chronicle for three years. Many slaves that had been freed gathered in Clarksville and joined the Union Army
, which created all-black regiments. The remaining lived along the side of the river in shanties.
Clarksville is home to three Confederate States of America
Army
camps:
On February 17, 1862, the USS Cairo along with another Union
Ironclad came to Clarksville, TN and captured the city. There were no Confederate soldiers to contend with because they had left prior to the arrival of the ships. There were white flags flying over Ft. Defiance and over Ft. Clark. The citizens of the town that could get away, left as well. Before they left, Confederate
soldiers tried to burn the railroad bridge that crossed the Cumberland River
. The fire didn’t take hold and was put out before it could destroy the bridge. This railroad bridge made Clarksville very important to the Union. The USS Cairo tied up in Clarksville a couple of days before moving on to participate in the capture of Nashville.
rolled into town, drawing much excitement.
Another new form of entertainment soon came. In 1913, the Lillian Theater, Clarksville's first "movie house" for motion pictures, was opened on Franklin Street by Joseph Goldberg. It sat more than 500 people. Less than two years later, in 1915, the theater burned down. It was rebuilt later that year.
As World War I
raged in Europe
, many locals volunteered to go, reaffirming Tennessee as the Volunteer State, a nickname earned during the War of 1812
, the Mexican-American War and other earlier conflicts. Also during this time, women's suffrage was becoming a major issue, and Clarksville women saw a need for banking independent of their husbands and fathers who were fighting. In response, the First Women's Bank of Tennessee was established in 1919 by Mrs. Frank J. Runyon.
The 1920s brought additional growth to the city. Travelwise, a bus line between Clarksville and Hopkinsville was established in 1922. 1927 saw the creation of Austin Peay Normal School, later to become Austin Peay State University
. Two more theaters were added, the Majestic (with 600 seats) and the Capitol (with 900 seats) Theaters, both in 1928. John Outlaw, a local aviator, established Outlaw Field in 1929.
The largest change to the city came in 1942, as construction of Camp Campbell (now known as Fort Campbell
) began. The new army base ten miles (16 km) northwest of the city, and capable of holding 23,000 troops, gave an immediate boost to the population and economy of Clarksville.
In recent decades, the size of Clarksville has doubled. Communities such as New Providence
and Saint Bethlehem
were annexed into the city, adding to the overall population. The creation of Interstate 24
north of Saint Bethlehem made the area prime for development, and today much of the growth along U.S. Highway 79 is commercial retail. In 1954, the Clarksville Memorial Hospital was founded along Madison Street. Downtown, the Lillian was renamed the Roxy Theater, and today it still hosts plays and performances weekly. Clarksville is currently one of the fastest growing large cities in Tennessee. At its present rate of growth, the city is on track to replace Chattanooga as the fourth largest city in Tennessee by 2020.
The Roxy has been used as a backdrop for numerous photo shoots, films, documentaries, music videos and television commercials; most notably for Sheryl Crow
's Grammy-award winning song All I Wanna Do
, which was shot in front of the Roxy in downtown Clarksville.
The Monkees 1966 classic #1 song Last Train to Clarksville was supposedly inspired by the city's train depot and about a soldier from Fort Campbell during the Vietnam War era, wanting to see his girlfriend one more time before deployment, fearing he may never come back home. Parts of Clarksville are also briefly seen in the songs Music video.
, damaging many buildings including the county courthouse. The tornado, 880 yards (804.7 m) wide, continued on a 4.3 miles (6.9 km)-long path that took it up to Saint Bethlehem. No one was seriously injured or killed in the destruction. Clarksville has since recovered, and has rebuilt much of the damage as a symbol of the city's resilience. Where one building on Franklin Street once stood has been replaced with a large mural
of the historic buildings of Clarksville on the side of one that remained.
The first Montgomery County courthouse was built from logs
in 1796 by James Adams. It sat close to the riverbank on the corner of what is now present-day Riverside Drive and Washington Street. It was later replaced by a second courthouse built in 1805, and a third in 1806, with the land provided by Henry Small. The fourth courthouse was built in 1811, and the first to be built of brick
. It was constructed on the east half of Public Square, with the land donated by Martin Armstrong. In 1843, yet another courthouse was built, this time on Franklin Street. It would remain standing until the Great Fire of 1878.
The sixth and current courthouse was built between Second and Third Streets, with the cornerstone
laid on May 16, 1879. This particular building was designed by George W. Bunting of Indianapolis, Indiana
. Five years later, the downtown area was hit by a tornado
, which damaged the roof of the courthouse. The building was rebuilt. On March 12, 1900, the building was again ravaged by fire, with the upper floors gutted and the clock tower destroyed. Many citizens wanted the courthouse torn down and replaced with a safer one, but the judge refused and repaired the damage.
The courthouse was destroyed once again by the January 22, 1999 tornado. The building of another new courthouse was on the minds of locals, but in the end the courthouse was fully restored as a county office building. On the fourth anniversary of the disaster the courthouse was rededicated. In addition to the restoration of the original courthouse and plazas, a new courts center was built on its north side.
operates a total of 36 public schools to serve about 30,000 students, including seven high schools, seven middle schools, 20 elementary schools, one magnet school for K-5, and the Middle College @ Austin Peay State University
.
Public high schools (grades 9-12) in Clarksville-Montgomery County:
Public elementary schools in Clarksville-Montgomery County:
Biggest public primary/middle schools in Clarksville-Montgomery County:
Private primary/middle schools in Clarksville:
Other notable local companies include:
but also has a small airport, Outlaw Field
, located 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown. Outlaw Field
accommodates nearly 40,000 private and corporate flights a year, and is also home to a pilot training school and a few small aircraft companies. It has two asphalt runways, one 6,000 feet (1800 m) by 100 feet (30 m) and the other 4,004 feet (1200 m) by 100 feet (30 m). Outlaw Field
has received a $35,000 grant. The terminal is under renovation.
Cobb Field is a small private Airport. It is 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the Dover crossings area. just across the street from Liberty elementary. It has 1 runway grass/sod runway that measures at 1752 ft (534 m). This airport is not open to the public.
, Clarksville was listed as one of the top five cities with a population of under 250,000 that would attract creative class
jobs over the next 10 years.
The city has also received good rankings in various categories in:
Others can be located at the city's website.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Tennessee
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county seat is Clarksville. The population was 172,331 at the 2010 census. It is one of the four counties included in the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
. Clarksville is the ninth fastest growing city in the nation and the principal central city of the Clarksville, TN-KY metropolitan statistical area, which consists of Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Tennessee
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county seat is Clarksville. The population was 172,331 at the 2010 census. It is one of the four counties included in the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Stewart County, Tennessee, Christian County, Kentucky
Christian County, Kentucky
Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1797. As of 2000, its population was 72,265. Its county seat is Hopkinsville, Kentucky...
, Trigg County, Kentucky
Trigg County, Kentucky
Trigg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1820. As of 2000, the population was 12,597. Its county seat is Cadiz. The county is named for Stephen Trigg, a frontier officer in the American Revolutionary War who died in the Battle of Blue Licks...
and is the 10th fastest growing Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the nation.
The city was incorporated in 1785, making it Tennessee's first incorporated city, and named for General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
, frontier fighter and Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
hero, brother of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
.
Clarksville is one of the South's
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
most historic cities and the home of Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
; The Leaf-Chronicle
The Leaf-Chronicle
The Leaf-Chronicle is a newspaper in the state of Tennessee, founded, officially, in 1890.First appearing as a weekly newspaper under various names as early as 1808 and eventually as the Clarksville Chronicle, the current name is the result of a subsequent merger, in 1890, with the Tobacco Leaf,...
, the oldest newspaper in Tennessee; and neighbor to the Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
, United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
base. Fort Campbell is the home of the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
(Air Assault), and is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) from downtown Clarksville, straddling the Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
-Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
state line. It is officially Fort Campbell, Kentucky due to the fact the base U.S. Post Office is on the Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
side of the base; the majority of Fort Campbell is within the state of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
The city's nicknames
- Tennessee's Top Spot- was introduced as a new city "brandBrandThe American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
" and official nickname in April 2008. - The Queen City
- Clarksvegas
- Queen of the Cumberland
- Gateway to the New South
Geography
Clarksville is located at 36°31′47"N 87°21′33"W (36.5297222, -87.3594444). The elevation is 382 feet (116.4 m) above sea level. This altitude can be found on a section of Riverside Drive, which runs along the eastern bank of the Cumberland, but most of the city is higher. Clarksville's civil airport, Outlaw Field, is listed as 550 feet (167.6 m) AMSL by survey. According to Topo USA mapping software, the city square sits at 475 feet (144.8 m) and the courthouse at 509 feet (155.1 m). There is a point on the northern side of Memorial Drive near Medical Court that reaches 598 feet (182.3 m).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 95.5 square miles (247.3 km²), of which, 94.9 square miles (245.8 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (0.71%) is water.
Clarksville is located on the northwest edge of the Highland Rim
Highland Rim
The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions....
, which surrounds the Nashville Basin
Nashville Basin
The Nashville Basin, also known as the Central Basin, is a term often used to describe the area surrounding Nashville, Tennessee. The Central Basin was caused by an uplifting known as the Nashville Dome. The Nashville Dome is evidenced by the underlying rock strata that all dip downwards away from...
, and is 45 miles (72.4 km) northwest of Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Clarksville was founded on the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
near the confluence of the Cumberland and the Red River
Red River (Tennessee-Kentucky)
The Red River, long, is a major stream of north-central Tennessee and south-central Kentucky and a major tributary of the Cumberland River....
. The Cumberland flows downstream from Nashville, some 40 miles (64.4 km) southeast of Clarksville. From its beginnings, the river was the city's commercial lifeline. Flat boats and, by the 1820s, steamboats carried cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
, soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, downstream to the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and up the Ohio to Pittsburgh. More frequently, cargo went down the Ohio to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and New Orleans. Both dark-fired and burley
Burley (tobacco)
Burley tobacco is a light air-cured tobacco used primarily for cigarette production. In the United States it is produced in an eight-state belt with approximately 70% produced in Kentucky. Tennessee produces approximately 20%, with smaller amounts produced in Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri,...
tobacco are grown in the area, and European tobacco buyers helped make Clarksville the largest market in the world for dark-fired tobacco, particularly Type 22
Type 22 tobacco
Type 22 tobacco is a classification of United States tobacco product as defined by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, effective date November 7, 1986. The definition states that type 22 tobacco is a type of fire-cured tobacco, known as Eastern District fire-cured, produced principally in a...
, used in smokeless products. It was considered to have the highest nicotine content of all tobaccos in the 19th century.
To the northwest of Clarksville, lies the Fort Campbell Military Reservation, home of the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
. Much of Clarksville's economy can be attributed to Fort Campbell's presence (and Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
). Most of Fort Campbell is in Tennessee, mostly in Montgomery and Stewart counties. Its post office is in Kentucky.
Fort Campbell North is a Census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) in Christian County, Kentucky
Christian County, Kentucky
Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1797. As of 2000, its population was 72,265. Its county seat is Hopkinsville, Kentucky...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It contains most of the housing for the Fort Campbell Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
base. The population was 14,338 at the 2000 census.
Fort Campbell North is part of the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area
Major roads and highways
- U.S. Highway 41 Alternate (Madison Street and Fort CampbellFort CampbellFort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
Boulevard) - U.S. Highway 79 (Wilma Rudolph Boulevard)
- Interstate 24Interstate 24Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
(designated a control cityControl cityA control city is a city or locality posted on a traffic sign indicating forward destinations on a certain route. These destinations aid motorists using the highway system to reach destinations along the various routes...
along route) - State Route 12 (Ashland CityAshland City, TennesseeAshland City is a town in Cheatham County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,641 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cheatham County.-History:Ashland City was created in 1856 as a county seat for the newly-established Cheatham County...
Highway) - State Route 13
- State Route 48
- State Route 76 ("Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway")
- State Route 374 (Warfield Blvd., 101st Airborne Division Parkway, Purple Heart Parkway)
ZIP codes
The ZIP codeZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
s used in the Clarksville area are: 37010, 37040, 37041, 37042, 37043, 37044, 37191.
Area code
Clarksville and the majority of Montgomery County use the area code 931, but a portion of eastern Montgomery County has use of the area code 615.Its Neighbor, Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
, uses area code 270.
Climate
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 103,455 people, 36,969 households, and 26,950 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,090.6 people per square mile (421.1/km²). There were 40,041 housing units at an average density of 422.1 per square mile (163.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.91% White, 23.23% African American, 0.54% Native American, 2.16% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.03% of the population. The census recorded 5,187 foreign-born residents in Clarksville.
There were 36,969 households out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 15.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,548, and the median income for a family was $41,421. Males had a median income of $29,480 versus $22,549 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,686. About 8.4% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Pre-Colonization and Native American History
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
, and Mississippian
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
whose chiefdoms were the cultural predecessors of the Muscogee people
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
who inhabited the Tennessee River Valley prior to Cherokee migration into the river's headwaters.
When Spanish explorers
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
first visited Tennessee, led by Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (explorer)
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River....
in 1539–43, it was inhabited by tribes of Muscogee
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
and Yuchi
Yuchi
For the Chinese surname 尉迟, see Yuchi.The Yuchi, also spelled Euchee and Uchee, are a Native American Indian tribe who traditionally lived in the eastern Tennessee River valley in Tennessee in the 16th century. During the 17th century, they moved south to Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina...
people. Possibly because of European diseases devastating the Native tribes, which would have left a population vacuum, and also from expanding European settlement in the north, the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
moved south from the area now called Virginia. As European colonists spread into the area, the native populations were forcibly displaced to the south and west, including all Muscogee and Yuchi peoples, the Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
, and Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
. From 1838 to 1839, nearly 17,000 Cherokees were forced to march from "emigration depots" in Eastern Tennessee, such as Fort Cass
Fort Cass
Fort Cass, established in 1835, was an important site during the Cherokee removal known as the Trail of Tears. Located on the Hiwassee River in present-day Charleston, Tennessee, it housed a garrison of United States troops and watched over the largest concentration of internment camps where...
, to Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
west of Arkansas. This came to be known as the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
, as an estimated 4,000 Cherokees died along the way.
Colonization
Thomas Hutchins
Thomas Hutchins was an American military engineer, cartographer, geographer and surveyor.He joined the militia during the French and Indian War and later took a regular commission with British forces...
in 1768.He identified Red Paint Hill, a rock bluff
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
at the confluence of the Cumberland
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
and Red
Red River (Tennessee-Kentucky)
The Red River, long, is a major stream of north-central Tennessee and south-central Kentucky and a major tributary of the Cumberland River....
Rivers, as a navigational landmark.
In the years between 1771 and 1775, John Montgomery
John Montgomery (pioneer)
Colonel John Montgomery was an early American soldier, settler, and explorer. He is credited with founding the city of Clarksville, Tennessee, and the county of Montgomery County, Tennessee is named for him....
, the namesake of the county, along with Kasper Mansker visited the area while on a hunting expedition. That same year in 1771, James Robertson
James Robertson (early American)
James Robertson was an explorer and pioneer active primarily in what is now the State of Tennessee during the second half of the 18th century. An early companion of explorer Daniel Boone, Robertson helped establish the Watauga Association in the early 1770s, and helped defend Fort Watauga from an...
led a group of some twelve or thirteen families involved with the Regulator movement from near where present day Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
now stands. In 1772, Robertson and the pioneers who had settled in Northeast Tennessee (along the Watauga River, the Doe River
Doe River
The Doe River is a naturally flowing river in northeast Tennessee that forms in Carter County near the North Carolina line, just south of Roan Mountain State Park.-Hydrography:...
, the Holston River
Holston River
The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee. The three major forks of the Holston rise in southwestern Virginia and have their confluence near Kingsport, Tennessee. The North Fork flows southwest from Sharon Springs in Bland County, Virginia...
, and the Nolichucky River
Nolichucky River
The Nolichucky River is a major stream draining the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina and east Tennessee. The river is long.-Hydrography:...
met at Sycamore Shoals
Sycamore Shoals
The Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga River, usually shortened to Sycamore Shoals, is a rocky stretch of river rapids along the Watauga River in Elizabethton, in the U.S. state of Tennessee...
to establish an independent regional government known as the Watauga Association
Watauga Association
The Watauga Association was a semi-autonomous government created in 1772 by frontier settlers living along the Watauga River in what is now present day Elizabethton, Tennessee...
. However, in 1772, surveyors placed the land officially within the domain of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
tribe, who required negotiation of a lease with the settlers. Tragedy struck as the lease was being celebrated, when a Cherokee warrior was murdered by a white man. Through diplomacy, Robertson made peace with the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
s, who threatened to expel the settlers by force if necessary.
In March 1775, land speculator and North Carolina judge Richard Henderson
Richard Henderson (American pioneer)
Richard Henderson was an American pioneer and merchant who attempted to create a colony called Transylvania just as the American Revolutionary War was starting.-Early life:Henderson was born in Hanover County, Virginia...
met with more than 1,200 Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
s at Sycamore Shoals, including Cherokee leaders such as Attacullaculla
Attacullaculla
Attakullakulla or Atagulkalu , adopted as an infant into the Cherokee tribe, became their First Beloved Man, serving from 1761 to around 1775...
, Oconostota
Oconostota
Oconostota was the Warrior of Chota and the First Beloved Man of the Cherokee from 1775 to 1781.-Meaning of the name:...
, and Dragging Canoe
Dragging Canoe
Tsiyu Gansini , "He is dragging his canoe", known to whites as Dragging Canoe, was a Cherokee war chief who led a band of Cherokee against colonists and United States settlers...
. In the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals (also known as the Treaty of Watauga), Henderson purchased all the land lying between the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
, the Cumberland Mountains
Cumberland Mountains
The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in southern West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the Crab Orchard Mountains...
, and the Kentucky River
Kentucky River
The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long, in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The river and its tributaries drain much of the central region of the state, with its upper course passing through the coal-mining regions of the Cumberland Mountains, and its lower course passing through the...
, and situated south of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
in what is known as the Transylvania Purchase from the Cherokee Indians. The land thus delineated, 20 million acres (81000 km?), encompassed an area half as large as the present state of Kentucky. Henderson's purchase was in violation of North Carolina and Virginia law, as well as the Royal Proclamation of 1763
Royal Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued October 7, 1763, by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
, which prohibited private purchase of American Indian land. Henderson may have mistakenly believed that a newer British legal opinion had made such land purchases legal.
All of present day Tennessee was once recognized as one single North Carolina county: Washington County, North Carolina. Created in 1777 from the western areas of Burke and Wilkes Counties, North Carolina, Washington County had as a precursor a Washington District of 1775-76, which was the first political entity named for the Commander-in-Chief of American forces in the Revolution.
Founding
In 1779, James RobertsonJames Robertson (early American)
James Robertson was an explorer and pioneer active primarily in what is now the State of Tennessee during the second half of the 18th century. An early companion of explorer Daniel Boone, Robertson helped establish the Watauga Association in the early 1770s, and helped defend Fort Watauga from an...
brought a group of settlers from upper East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
via Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
's "Wilderness Road
Wilderness Road
The Wilderness Road was the principal route used by settlers for more than fifty years to reach Kentucky from the East. In 1775, Daniel Boone blazed a trail for the Transylvania Company from Fort Chiswell in Virginia through the Cumberland Gap into central Kentucky. It was later lengthened,...
". Robertson would later build an iron plantation
Iron plantation
An Iron plantation was a small scale iron production facility common in the Southern United States prior to the 1900s. It involved a process of smelting that produced an inferior grade of iron called pig iron that did not require a large scale industrial process to produce higher grades of iron...
in Cumberland Furnace
Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee
Cumberland Furnace is an unincorporated community in northern Dickson County, Tennessee, United States, largely immediately west of State Route 48. It was the site of a large 19th century iron works, initiated by Nashville, Tennessee founder James Robertson and later operated by the "The Iron...
. A year later, in 1780, John Donelson
John Donelson
Col. John Donelson , explorer and adventurer, was, with James Robertson, co-founder of Fort Nashborough in 1780, which would eventually become the city of Nashville, Tennessee. Donelson was the father of Rachel Jackson, the wife of seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. His...
led a group of flat boats up the Cumberland River bound for the French trading settlement, French Lick (or Big Lick), that would later be Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. When the boats reached Red Paint Hill, Moses Renfroe
Moses Renfroe
Moses Renfroe was one of a group of settlers who arrived in middle Tennessee in 1780 along with James Robertson, the founder of Nashville, with the goal of starting a settlement...
, Joseph Renfroe, and Solomon Turpin, along with their families, branched off onto the Red River. They traveled to the mouth of Parson's Creek, near Port Royal
Port Royal, Tennessee
Port Royal is a historic unincorporated community on the border of Montgomery and Robertson counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is home to Port Royal State Park. It is located at the confluence of the Red River and Sulphur Fork Creek.-History:...
, and came ashore to settle down. However, an attack by Indians in the summer drove them back. (See Port Royal State Park
Port Royal State Park
Port Royal State Historic Park is a 26 acre Historic area on the border of Montgomery and Robertson counties in Tennessee. The historic community of Port Royal is its namesake. The Red River runs through the center of the park, and the covered bridge at Port Royal once crossed it...
)
Clarksville was designated as a town to be settled in part by soldiers from the disbanded Continental Army that served under General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. At the end of the war, the federal government lacked sufficient funds to repay the soldiers, so the Legislature of North Carolina , in 1790, designated the lands to the west of the state line as federal lands that could be used in the land grant program. Since the area of Clarksville had been surveyed and sectioned into plots, it was identified as a territory deemed ready for settlement. The land was available to be settled by the families of eligible soldiers as repayment of service to their country.
The development and culture of Clarksville has had an ongoing interdependence between the citizens of Clarksville and the military. The formation of the city is associated with the end of the American Revolutionary War. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
a large percent of the male population was depleted due to Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River leading to the heart of Tennessee, and the heart of the Confederacy.-History:...
. Many Clarksville men were interned at Union prisoner of war (POW) camps. Clarksville also lost many native sons during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(WWI). With the formation of Camp Campbell, later Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(WWII), the bonds of military influence were strengthened. Soldiers from Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
have deployed in every military campaign since the formation of the post.
On January 16, 1784, John Armstrong
John Armstrong (Carolina)
John Armstrong was an American soldier and land speculator from Surry County, North Carolina. During the American Revolutionary War he led units of the Surry County militia, advancing to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel...
filed notice with the Legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to create the town of Clarksville, named after General George Rogers Clark. Even before it was officially designated a town, lots had been sold. In October of 1785, Col. Robert Weakley laid off the town of Clarksville for Martin Armstrong and Col. Montgomery, and Weakley had the choice of lots for his services. He selected Lot #20 at the northeast corner of Spring and Main Streets. The town consisted of 20 'squares' of 140 lots and 44 out lots. The original Court House was on Lot #93, on the north side of Franklin Street between Front and Second Street. The Public Spring was on Lot #74, on the northeast corner of Spring and Commerce Streets. Weakley built the first cabin there in January of 1786, and about February or March, Col. Montgomery came there and had a cabin built, which was the second house in Clarksville. After an official survey by James Sanders
James Sanders
James Sanders is an American football safety for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, Clarksville was founded by the North Carolina Legislature on December 29, 1785. It was the second town to be founded in the area. Armstrong's layout for the town consisted of 12 four-acre (16,000 m²) squares built on the hill overlooking the Cumberland as to protect against floods. The primary streets (from north to south) that went east-west were named Jefferson, Washington (now College Street), Franklin, Main, and Commerce streets. North-south streets (from the river eastward) were named Water (now Riverside Drive), Spring, First, Second, and Third streets.
The tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
trade in the area was growing larger every year and in 1789, Montgomery and Martin Armstrong
Martin Armstrong (early American)
Martin Armstrong was an American soldier and surveyor, notable for devising the plan for Clarksville, Tennessee in 1784.He was a colonel in the American Revolutionary War from North Carolina. Following the war, he moved to the western region of North Carolina that later became Tennessee...
persuaded lawmakers to designate Clarksville as an inspection point for tobacco. In 1790, Isacc Rowe Peterson staked a claim to Dunbar Cave
Dunbar Cave State Park
Dunbar Cave State Park is a 110 acre park in Clarksville, Tennessee, situated around Dunbar Cave. Dunbar Cave is the 280th largest cave complex in the world, stretching 8.067 miles inward. In front of the cave entrance is a large concrete poured structure with three distinct arches...
, just northeast of downtown.
When Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
was founded as a state on June 1, 1796, the area around Clarksville and to the east was named Tennessee County. (This county was established in 1788, by North Carolina.) Later, Tennessee County would be broken up into modern day Montgomery
Montgomery County, Tennessee
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county seat is Clarksville. The population was 172,331 at the 2010 census. It is one of the four counties included in the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and Robertson Counties, named to honor the men who first opened up the region for settlement.
The 19th Century
As time progressed into the 19th century, Clarksville grew at a rapid pace. By 1806, the town realized the need for an educational institution, and the Rural Academy was established that year. Later, the Rural Academy would be replaced by the Mount Pleasant Academy. By 1819, the newly-established town had 22 stores, including a bakeryBakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
and silversmith
Silversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
. In 1820, steamboats begin to navigate the Cumberland, bringing hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, fabric
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
, and glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
. They also exported flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, tobacco, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
to ports like New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
along the Ohio and Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
Rivers. Trade via land also grew as four main dirt roads were established, two to Nashville, one crossing the Red River via ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
called the Kentucky Road, and Russellville
Russellville, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,149 people, 3,064 households, and 1,973 families residing in the city. The population density was 672.1 people per square mile . There were 3,458 housing units at an average density of 325.1 per square mile...
Road. In 1829, the first bridge connecting Clarksville to New Providence
New Providence, Tennessee
New Providence, Tennessee was a small railroad town in northern middle Tennessee. It was a mostly working class city until about the mid 20th century when it was annexed by the nearby city of Clarksville, Tennessee...
was built over the Red River. Nine years later, the Clarksville-Hopkinsville
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
Turnpike was built. In 1855, Clarksville was incorporated as a city. Railroad service came to the town on October 1, 1859 in the form of the Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad
Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad
The Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad received its charter on January 28, 1852, from the state of Tennessee. The line connected with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad connects between Memphis and Louisville.The railroad had a major strike in 1868...
. The line would later connect with other railroads at Paris, Tennessee
Paris, Tennessee
Paris is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, United States, west of Nashville, on a fork of the West Sandy River. In 1900, 2,018 people lived in Paris, Tennessee; in 1910, 3,881; and in 1940, 6,395. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,763. It is the county seat of Henry...
and Guthrie, Kentucky
Guthrie, Kentucky
Guthrie is a city in Todd County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,469 at the 2000 census. The city is named for James Guthrie, president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad when the city was incorporated in 1867.-Geography:...
.
Civil War Years
By the start of the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the combined population of the city and the county was 20,000. The area was openly for slavery, as blacks worked in the tobacco fields. In 1861, both Clarksville and Montgomery County voted unanimously to join the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. The proximity of the birthplace of Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
gave the city a strong tie to the CSA, and both sides saw the city as strategic and important. Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
set up a defense line around Clarksville expecting a land attack; however, the Union sent troops and gunboats down the Cumberland, and in 1862, captured Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River leading to the heart of Tennessee, and the heart of the Confederacy.-History:...
, Fort Henry, and Clarksville. Between 1862 and 1865, the city would shift hands, but the Union would retain control of Clarksville to include control of the city's newspaper - The Leaf Chronicle for three years. Many slaves that had been freed gathered in Clarksville and joined the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, which created all-black regiments. The remaining lived along the side of the river in shanties.
Clarksville is home to three Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
camps:
- Camp BooneCamp BooneCamp Boone, Tennessee was located on Guthrie Road/ U.S. Route 79 near the Kentucky - Tennessee border at Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee .Camp Boone was laid out in early 1861 by three men who had been authorized to raise a Kentucky Regiment for...
located on U.S. Highway 79 Guthrie Road/(Wilma Rudolph Boulevard), - Camp Burnet
- Fort Defiance, TennesseeFort Defiance, TennesseeIn November 1861, Confederate troops began to build a defensive fort that would control the river approach to Clarksville, Tennessee. They mounted three guns in the fort. On February 19, 1862, Federal gunboats came up the river from Fort Donelson and reported the fort displayed a white flag and was...
, a Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
outpost that overlooks the Cumberland riverCumberland RiverThe Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
and Red river and was occupied by both ConfederateConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
and UnionUnion (American Civil War)During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
soldiers. Work is ongoing at the site to build an interpretive/ museum center to chronicle the local chapter in the Civil War.
On February 17, 1862, the USS Cairo along with another Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
Ironclad came to Clarksville, TN and captured the city. There were no Confederate soldiers to contend with because they had left prior to the arrival of the ships. There were white flags flying over Ft. Defiance and over Ft. Clark. The citizens of the town that could get away, left as well. Before they left, Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
soldiers tried to burn the railroad bridge that crossed the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
. The fire didn’t take hold and was put out before it could destroy the bridge. This railroad bridge made Clarksville very important to the Union. The USS Cairo tied up in Clarksville a couple of days before moving on to participate in the capture of Nashville.
Reconstruction
After the war, the city began Reconstruction, and in 1872, the existing railroad was purchased by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. The city reached a high point until the Great Fire of 1878, which destroyed 15 acres (60,000 m²) of downtown Clarksville's business district, including the courthouse at that time and many other historic buildings. It was believed to have started in a Franklin Street store. After the fire, the city rebuilt and entered the 20th century with a fresh start. It was at this time that the first automobileAutomobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
rolled into town, drawing much excitement.
The 20th century
As World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
raged in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, many locals volunteered to go, reaffirming Tennessee as the Volunteer State, a nickname earned during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the Mexican-American War and other earlier conflicts. Also during this time, women's suffrage was becoming a major issue, and Clarksville women saw a need for banking independent of their husbands and fathers who were fighting. In response, the First Women's Bank of Tennessee was established in 1919 by Mrs. Frank J. Runyon.
The 1920s brought additional growth to the city. Travelwise, a bus line between Clarksville and Hopkinsville was established in 1922. 1927 saw the creation of Austin Peay Normal School, later to become Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
. Two more theaters were added, the Majestic (with 600 seats) and the Capitol (with 900 seats) Theaters, both in 1928. John Outlaw, a local aviator, established Outlaw Field in 1929.
The largest change to the city came in 1942, as construction of Camp Campbell (now known as Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
) began. The new army base ten miles (16 km) northwest of the city, and capable of holding 23,000 troops, gave an immediate boost to the population and economy of Clarksville.
In recent decades, the size of Clarksville has doubled. Communities such as New Providence
New Providence, Tennessee
New Providence, Tennessee was a small railroad town in northern middle Tennessee. It was a mostly working class city until about the mid 20th century when it was annexed by the nearby city of Clarksville, Tennessee...
and Saint Bethlehem
Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee
Saint Bethlehem or St. Bethlehem, also called "St. B" by locals, is a community in Montgomery County, Tennessee, located just northeast of downtown Clarksville. St. Bethlehem has been incorporated into Clarksville city limits and is no longer a separate community, although locals still refer to...
were annexed into the city, adding to the overall population. The creation of Interstate 24
Interstate 24
Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
north of Saint Bethlehem made the area prime for development, and today much of the growth along U.S. Highway 79 is commercial retail. In 1954, the Clarksville Memorial Hospital was founded along Madison Street. Downtown, the Lillian was renamed the Roxy Theater, and today it still hosts plays and performances weekly. Clarksville is currently one of the fastest growing large cities in Tennessee. At its present rate of growth, the city is on track to replace Chattanooga as the fourth largest city in Tennessee by 2020.
The Roxy has been used as a backdrop for numerous photo shoots, films, documentaries, music videos and television commercials; most notably for Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
's Grammy-award winning song All I Wanna Do
All I Wanna Do (Sheryl Crow song)
English singer/songwriter Amy Studt released a cover version of the song as her fourth single. Amy was asked personally by Sheryl Crow to record a cover of the song....
, which was shot in front of the Roxy in downtown Clarksville.
The Monkees 1966 classic #1 song Last Train to Clarksville was supposedly inspired by the city's train depot and about a soldier from Fort Campbell during the Vietnam War era, wanting to see his girlfriend one more time before deployment, fearing he may never come back home. Parts of Clarksville are also briefly seen in the songs Music video.
1999 Tornado
On the morning of January 22, 1999, the downtown area of Clarksville was devastated by an F3 tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
, damaging many buildings including the county courthouse. The tornado, 880 yards (804.7 m) wide, continued on a 4.3 miles (6.9 km)-long path that took it up to Saint Bethlehem. No one was seriously injured or killed in the destruction. Clarksville has since recovered, and has rebuilt much of the damage as a symbol of the city's resilience. Where one building on Franklin Street once stood has been replaced with a large mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
of the historic buildings of Clarksville on the side of one that remained.
2010 Flood
On Sunday, May 2, 2010 Clarksville and a majority of central Tennessee to include Nashville and 22 counties in total, suffered expansive and devastating floods near the levels of the great flood of 1937. Many business along Riverside Drive along the Cumberland River were totally lost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2010_Tennessee_floodsOccupy Clarksville
On 3pm Sunday 9 October 2011 Occupy Clarksville convened its first General Assembly in McGregor Park on Riverside Drive to discuss and plan solidarity actions with OccupyWallSt in New York. After holding several General Assemblies, two marches, and a poster making meeting, the group reached a consensus that they would start occupying McGregor Park on the night of 24 October. At 10pm on that night Clarksville police informed protestors that they would arrest anyone who was still in the park after midnight. An international call-in campaign to the Clarksville Police Department was mobilized in minutes and at midnight protestors entered into negotiations with police that resulted in their moving to Public Square which is open 24 hours. A continuous occupation of Public Square was maintained for 30 days until 22 November 2011. Currently, a student occupation is ongoing at Austin Peay State University where students are standing up and fighting back against massive, unforgivable student loan debt, corporate greed, attacks on organized labor and a host of other issues. http://www.occupyclarksville.org/History of the county courthouse
Log home
A log home is structurally identical to a log cabin...
in 1796 by James Adams. It sat close to the riverbank on the corner of what is now present-day Riverside Drive and Washington Street. It was later replaced by a second courthouse built in 1805, and a third in 1806, with the land provided by Henry Small. The fourth courthouse was built in 1811, and the first to be built of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
. It was constructed on the east half of Public Square, with the land donated by Martin Armstrong. In 1843, yet another courthouse was built, this time on Franklin Street. It would remain standing until the Great Fire of 1878.
The sixth and current courthouse was built between Second and Third Streets, with the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
laid on May 16, 1879. This particular building was designed by George W. Bunting of Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. Five years later, the downtown area was hit by a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
, which damaged the roof of the courthouse. The building was rebuilt. On March 12, 1900, the building was again ravaged by fire, with the upper floors gutted and the clock tower destroyed. Many citizens wanted the courthouse torn down and replaced with a safer one, but the judge refused and repaired the damage.
The courthouse was destroyed once again by the January 22, 1999 tornado. The building of another new courthouse was on the minds of locals, but in the end the courthouse was fully restored as a county office building. On the fourth anniversary of the disaster the courthouse was rededicated. In addition to the restoration of the original courthouse and plazas, a new courts center was built on its north side.
Notable Clarksvillians
The following notable people were born in or have lived in Clarksville:- Roy AcuffRoy AcuffRoy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
, country music star - James E. BaileyJames E. BaileyJames Edmund Bailey was a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1877 to 1881.-Biography:Bailey was born in Montgomery County, Tennessee. He attended the Clarksville Academy and the former University of Nashville. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1843, starting a...
(United States Senator from TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
) - David BibbDavid BibbDavid L. Bibb is an American civil servant. He served as the Deputy Administrator of the General Services Administration , an independent agency of the United States government and Acting Administrator...
(Current Acting Administrator of the General Services AdministrationGeneral Services AdministrationThe General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
(GSA)) - Willie BlountWillie BlountWillie Blount served as Governor of Tennessee from 1809 to 1815. He was the younger half-brother of William Blount, representative of North Carolina to the Continental Congress and governor of the Southwest Territory....
Governor of Tennessee 1809-1815 - Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Guitarist, singer and songwriter. - Little RichardLittle RichardRichard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
American singer, songwriter, pianist and recording artist - Robert BurtRobert BurtDr. Robert Burt was the son of freed slaves who completed medical school at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, with honors in 1897. He soon set up practice in Clarksville, Tennessee. He operated an infirmary and later the only hospital in the city of Clarksville from 1904 to 1916...
, African-American surgeon - Ben Clark (2nd youngest American to climb Mount EverestMount EverestMount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
) - Philander ClaxtonPhilander ClaxtonPhilander Priestly Claxton was an American educator.-Biography:Philander Claxton was born in Bedford County, Tennessee. He was educated at the University of Tennessee where he obtained both his Bachelor and Masters of Arts . He continued his studies at Johns Hopkins University, as well as in...
(Professor, United States Commissioner of EducationCommissioner of EducationThe Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the National Bureau of Education, a former unit within the Department of the Interior in the United States...
, and APSU President) - James StormJames StormJames Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
(Professional wrestler) - Mageina TovahMageina TovahMageina Tovah is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Glynis Figliola in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Ursula Ditkovich in the Spider-Man films.-Early life:...
(Actress best known for her roles as Glynis Figliola in the television series Joan of Arcadia and as Ursula Ditkovich in the Spider-Man films) - Nate ColbertNate ColbertNathan Colbert Jr. , is a former American Major League Baseball player who was a first baseman with the Houston Astros , San Diego Padres , Detroit Tigers , Montreal Expos and Oakland Athletics .Signed by his hometown St...
, MLB player - Gretchen Cordy (Reality television cast member on "Survivor: BorneoSurvivor: BorneoSurvivor: Borneo is the first season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was originally broadcast under the name Survivor but its official title was changed to Survivor: Pulau Tiga to distinguish it from subsequent installments of the series, and then changed again to Survivor: Borneo to...
" and local radio DJ) - Mike Hondembroke, British-born social commentator and philanthropist
- Riley DarnellRiley DarnellRiley C. Darnell was the Tennessee Secretary of State.Defeated for reelection to the state Senate in November, 1992, Darnell's political comeback was immediate...
, former Tennessee State Senator and former Tennessee Secretary of StateTennessee Secretary of StateThe Tennessee Secretary of State is the state secretary of state for the State of Tennessee.The office is created by the Tennessee State Constitution. The Secretary of State is responsible for many of the administrative aspects of the operation of state government of Tennessee... - Harry GalbreathHarry GalbreathHarry Galbreath was an American football player. The 6-foot 1-inch 295-pound Galbreath attended the University of Tennessee and starred as an offensive guard for the Volunteers after graduating in 1983 from Clarksville High School.Galbreath played in every game of his four-year career as a...
(American football player with Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, and New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
) - Brock GillespieBrock GillespieBrock Andrew Gillespie is an American professional basketball player. He has played in the United States and in various countries abroad. He was named as a high school All-American by USA Today, Street & Smith's and McDonald's while he was attending Clarksville High School in Tennessee...
(Professional Basketball Player) - Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer, writer under the pen-name Dorothy DixDorothy DixDorothy Dix , was the pseudonym of U.S. journalist Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer....
, journalist who was famous for authoring a newspaper advice column - Jeff Gooch, former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player, Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
'96-'01,'04 Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
'02-'03 - Ernest William GoodpastureErnest William GoodpastureDr. Ernest William Goodpasture was an American pathologist and physician. Goodpasture advanced the scientific understanding of the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, parasitism, and a variety of rickettsial and viral infections...
(American pathologist and physician) - Caroline GordonCaroline GordonCaroline Ferguson Gordon was a notable American novelist and literary critic who, while still in her thirties, was the recipient of two prestigious literary awards, a 1932 Guggenheim Fellowship and a 1934 O...
(Novelist and wife of Allen Tate) - Trenton HassellTrenton HassellTrenton Lavar Hassell is an American professional basketball player who formerly played in the NBA. He earned a reputation for being one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders...
(NBA athlete, Minnesota TimberwolvesMinnesota TimberwolvesThe Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
, Chicago BullsChicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
, Dallas MavericksDallas MavericksThe Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
, and New Jersey NetsNew Jersey NetsThe New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
) - Roland HayesRoland HayesRoland Hayes was a lyric tenor and is considered the first African American male concert artist to receive wide international acclaim as well as at home...
(Musician) - Tommy HeadTommy HeadTommy Head is a Tennessee Democratic politician and a former member of that state's House of Representatives. He is also a farmer and a utility contractor....
(Member of Tennessee House of RepresentativesTennessee House of RepresentativesThe Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
) - Richard J. Herrell Musician/producer, known for his work with Hippiedigger & Murk-a-Troid
- Gustavus Adolphus Henry Sr. (1804–1880), Whig/Kentucky and Democrat/Tennessee, known as the "Eagle Orator of Tennessee"
- Percy HowardPercy HowardPercy Lenard Howard is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys in 1975. He was an unlikely star for the CowBoys in Super Bowl X.-Early years:...
, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys - Douglas S. JacksonDouglas S. JacksonDouglas S. "Doug" Jackson is a Tennessee State Senator, attorney, and executive director of the Renaissance Center.-Early life:...
, Tennessee State Senator - Cave JohnsonCave JohnsonCave Johnson was for fourteen years a Democratic U.S. Congressman from Tennessee. He was also the United States Postmaster General under James K. Polk from 1845–1849...
, Democrat, U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, and United States Postmaster GeneralUnited States Postmaster GeneralThe United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
under James K. PolkJames K. PolkJames Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
from 1845–1849 - Howard Johnson (American football)Howard Johnson (American football)Howard White "Smiley" Johnson was a professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He played the 1937, 1938 and 1939 college football seasons at the University of Georgia before joining the Green Bay Packers for the seasons. He joined the U.S...
(1916–1945) Football player, U.S. Marine - died on Iwo Jima - Micah JohnsonMicah JohnsonMicah Johnson is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Previously he played for the Miami Dolphins before being released on September 15, 2010. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2010...
Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... - Dorothy JordanDorothy Jordan (film actress)Dorothy Jordan was an American movie actress who had a short but successful career beginning in talking pictures in 1929.-Early career:...
(Drama actor) - Otis Key, player and coach with the Harlem GlobetrottersHarlem GlobetrottersThe Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
- Joseph Buckner KillebrewJoseph Buckner KillebrewJoseph Buckner Killebrew was born in Montgomery County, Tennessee near Clarksville. When he was four years old, his mother died, and he was raised by a succession of relatives. As a young man he took charge of the family farm...
(Educator, Lawyer, Innovator, originator of the liberal public school law of Tennessee) - Rosalind KuritaRosalind KuritaRosalind Kurita is a Tennessee politician who was formerly Speaker pro tempore of the Tennessee State Senate, representing State Senate District 22 , centered on Clarksville...
(Member of Tennessee State Senate) - Horace LisenbeeHorace LisenbeeHorace Milton "Hod" Lisenbee was a baseball pitcher whose career spanned over 28 years , although he only played eight seasons in the major leagues. Lisenbee was born on September 23, 1898, in Clarksville, Tennessee to John M. Lisenbee and Sarah Adiline Lisenbee, both of Clarksville, the second of...
(MLB Player, Pitcher for Washington Senators American League Baseball Team) - Horace Harmon LurtonHorace Harmon LurtonHorace Harmon Lurton was an American jurist who served for four years as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Appointed at the age of 65, Lurton was the oldest justice appointed to the Court.-Life:...
, Justice on the Supreme Court of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases... - John Hartwell MarableJohn Hartwell MarableJohn Hartwell Marable was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:He was born near Lawrenceville, Virginia, on November 18, 1786. He pursued an academic course and studied in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to compiled...
(Member of United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
) - Shawn MarionShawn MarionShawn Dwayne Marion is an American professional basketball player currently with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Marion attended high school in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Marion...
(NBA and Olympian athlete Phoenix SunsPhoenix SunsThe Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
, Miami HeatMiami HeatThe Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
, Toronto RaptorsToronto RaptorsThe Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
and Dallas MavericksDallas MavericksThe Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
) - Isaac MurphyIsaac MurphyFor the African-American Hall of Fame jockey see: Isaac Burns MurphyIsaac Murphy was the first Reconstruction Governor of Arkansas. He was the first reconstruction governor to come to power under President Abraham Lincoln's conciliatory policy...
, first Reconstruction Governor of ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River... - Robert Loftin NewmanRobert Loftin NewmanRobert Loftin Newman . was an American painter and stained-glass designer. He specialized in oil on canvas as his medium. He is sometimes associated with Albert Pinkham Ryder as a painter of mood...
(Renowned oil painter) - Mary C. Noble, JusticeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, Kentucky Supreme CourtKentucky Supreme CourtThe Kentucky Supreme Court was created by a 1975 constitutional amendment and is the state supreme court of the commonwealth of Kentucky. Prior to that the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky... - Wayne PaceWayne PaceWayne H. Pace was the chief financial officer and executive vice president of Time Warner Inc.. He has served as CFO from 2001 until 2007...
(CFO of Time WarnerTime WarnerTime Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
) - Asahel Huntington Patch, or A. H. PatchA. H. PatchAsahel Huntington Patch was an inventor, and manufacturer from Hamilton, Massachusetts.In 1872, Patch patented his first pole-mounted corn sheller. It was featured in Scientific American magazine in 1872...
(Inventor of the Blackhawk corn sheller) - Austin PeayAustin PeayAustin Peay was Governor of Tennessee from 1923 until his death in 1927.-Biography:Peay, a native of Kentucky, moved to Clarksville, Tennessee and opened a law practice in 1896. He was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1901 and re-elected in 1903...
(Tennessee governor from 1922 to 1927 and namesake to university) - Chonda PierceChonda PierceChonda Pierce is a Christian comedienne often billed as "The Queen of Clean." Maiden name "Courtney".Pierce got her start in comedy during a six-year stint at a theme park in Nashville, Tennessee called Opryland USA. A Theater Arts major from Austin Peay State University, Pierce went to the park...
, ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and performer - Key PittmanKey PittmanKey Denson Pittman was a United States Senator from Nevada. He was a Democrat.Pittman was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1872 and was educated by private tutors and at the Southwestern Presbyterian University in Clarksville, Tennessee. He studied law, then later became a lawyer...
(United States Senator from NevadaNevadaNevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
) - Jeff PurvisJeff PurvisJeff Purvis is a former race car driver in NASCAR's Nationwide Series. He is a 15-year veteran with four wins and 25 top-five finishes. Purvis is still recovering from a massive brain injury suffered in 2002. He races "Late Model Crates" at Golden Isles Speedway.- Winston Cup Series Career :Purvis...
, Former (NascarNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
race car driver) - Mark DayMark Day (NASCAR)Mark Day is a former NASCAR driver, racing for a number of years in NASCAR's higher division. In addition, his family currently owns the #05 31-W Racing Chevy in the Busch Series. That team races in that series on a part-time basis and full-time in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.-Craftsman Truck...
, Former (NascarNASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
race car driver) - James B. ReynoldsJames B. ReynoldsJames B. Reynolds was an American politician that represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives. He was born in County Antrim, Ireland in 1779. He attended the common schools and immigrated to the United States in 1798. In 1804 he settled in Clarksville, Tennessee and studied...
(Member of United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
) - Mason RudolphMason RudolphEdgar Mason Rudolph was an American golfer who won five times on the PGA Tour.-Early years and amateur career:...
(Professional golfer) (no relation to Wilma Rudolph) - Wilma RudolphWilma RudolphWilma Glodean Rudolph was an American athlete. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, in 1956 and in 1960....
(First female athlete to win three OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Gold Medals in a single games) - Brenda Vineyard RunyonBrenda Vineyard RunyonBrenda Vineyard Runyon , founder and director of the First Woman’s Bank of Tennessee in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1919. The bank was the first bank in the United States to be managed and directed entirely by women. Ms Runyon resigned her position in 1926 due to failing health and was unable to...
(Founder and Director of a historic bank 1919-1926, First Womans Bank of Tennessee) - Clarence Saunders, founder of the Piggly Wiggly supermarket business
- Evelyn ScottEvelyn ScottEvelyn Scott was an American novelist, playwright and poet. She also wrote under the pseudonyms Ernest Souza and Elsie Dunn.-External links:**...
, poet and novelist - Valentine SevierValentine SevierValentine Sevier II was a pioneer settler on the Tennessee frontier and a younger brother of John Sevier, the state's first governor.-Family background:...
, Revolutionary War soldier, and brother of John SevierJohn SevierJohn Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
, Tennessee's first governor. (Built Sevier Station in Clarksville, a small fort for settlers to take refuge during attacks by the Native American Indians; this structure still stands today as a historic site.) - George SherrillGeorge SherrillGeorge Friederich Sherrill , also known as "The Brim Reaper", "Flat Breezy", and "Duckbill" , is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher, who is a free agent-College and independent baseball:Sherrill was not drafted after graduating from Austin Peay State...
, baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers - Gregory D. Smith, first president of Tennessee Municipal Judges Conference
- Rachel SmithRachel SmithRachel Renee Smith is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant.-Early life:...
, Miss USA 2007Miss USA 2007Miss USA 2007, the 56th Miss USA pageant, was held in Hollywood, California, on March 23, 2007, after two weeks of events and preliminary competition. The winner of the pageant was Rachel Smith, of Tennessee.... - Travis StephensTravis StephensTravis Tremaine Stephens is a former running back in the NFL. He played one season in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being drafted by the team in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee where he is the single season record holder for rushing yards...
, football player with Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... - Chad Sugg Singer/Songwriter (Backseat GoodbyeBackseat GoodbyeBackseat Goodbye is the stage and recording name of pop-folk singer-songwriter Chad Sugg.-Career:Chad started the solo-project his freshman year at Middle Tennessee State University in August 2004...
) - Pat SummittPat SummittPatricia "Pat" Head Summitt is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history of either a men's or women's team in any division...
, UTUniversity of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
Women's Basketball coach - Frank SuttonFrank SuttonFrank Spencer Sutton was an American actor best remembered for his role of Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.-Early life:...
, actor who played Sgt. Carter in television series Gomer Pyle, USMC - Allen TateAllen TateJohn Orley Allen Tate was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1943 to 1944.-Life:...
, poet - Sloan ThomasSloan ThomasSloan Thomas is a former American football wide receiver from the National Football League. He went to Klein High School in Klein, Texas. He played in 46 games for the University of Texas, starting 20 contests...
, former wide receiver for the Tennessee TitansTennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter... - Robert Penn WarrenRobert Penn WarrenRobert Penn Warren was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the influential literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935...
, poet - Jamie WalkerJamie WalkerJames Ross "Jamie the Cat" Walker is an American Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously pitched for the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, and Baltimore Orioles....
, relief pitcher for the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
who formerly played for Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
and Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant... - Bubba WellsBubba WellsCharles Richard "Bubba" Wells is a retired American professional basketball player. He played briefly for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA...
, APSU alumnus and former NBA player - William WestmorelandWilliam WestmorelandWilliam Childs Westmoreland was a United States Army General, who commanded US military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak , during the Tet Offensive. He adopted a strategy of attrition against the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and the North Vietnamese Army. He later served as...
, military commander in Vietnam - William "Sammy" Stuard Chairman, Tennessee Banker's Association. CEO, F&M Bank
- Clarence Cameron WhiteClarence Cameron WhiteClarence Cameron White was an African American neoromantic composer and concert violinist. Dramatic works by the composer were his best-known, such as the incidental music for the play Tambour and the opera Ouanga. During the first decades of the twentieth century, White was considered the...
, musician - James "Fly" Williams, basketball player in the original American Basketball AssociationAmerican Basketball AssociationThe American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
in the 1970s - Howie Wright, basketball player for the New York KnicksNew York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in the 1970s - Buck YoungBuck YoungBuck Young was an American actor who played the role as "Sergeant Whipple" on the Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. TV series.In 1944, during World War II, Young was drafted into the US Army Air Corps...
, actor who played Sergeant Whipple in the Gomer PyleGomer PyleGomer Pyle is a bubbly, gentle, rural auto mechanic character played by American singer/ television actor Jim Nabors. Gomer Pyle became a character on the TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, when actor Howard McNear, who played Floyd the barber, suffered a stroke and took a respite from acting. Jim...
TV series - Blake Widner and Allison Barnes, 2004 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Champions
Colleges and universities
- Austin Peay State UniversityAustin Peay State UniversityAustin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
- Bethel College
- Miller-Motte Technical CollegeMiller-Motte Technical CollegeMiller-Motte Technical College is a chain of for-profit technical colleges throughout the Southern United States.-Accreditation:Miller-Motte is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools...
- Nashville State Community CollegeNashville State Community CollegeNashville State Community College is a comprehensive, regionally accredited, two year community college in Nashville, Tennessee operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. Nashville State shares a campus with the Tennessee Technology Center at Nashville. The Nashville State facilities include of...
- Daymar Institute
- Austins Beauty College
- North Central Institute
- North Tennessee Bible Institute
- Queen City College http://www.queencitycollege.com/
- Tennessee Technology Center
Public schools
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School SystemClarksville-Montgomery County School System
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is a system of schools in Montgomery County, Tennessee serving a population of over 147,000 people. It is the seventh largest district in Tennessee and has earned whole district accreditation. CMCSS is also ISO 9001 certified – a standard of...
operates a total of 36 public schools to serve about 30,000 students, including seven high schools, seven middle schools, 20 elementary schools, one magnet school for K-5, and the Middle College @ Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
.
- Northeast High School (800 students)
- Clarksville High School (1,259 students)
- Rossview High SchoolRossview High SchoolRossview High School is a high school located in Clarksville, Tennessee. It is part of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. The current building was completed in 2001 at a cost of $28 million dollars. 1,350 students were enrolled as of the 2005-2006 school year...
(1,500 students) - Northwest High School (1,171 students)
- Kenwood High SchoolKenwood High School (Tennessee)Kenwood High School is a public high school located in Clarksville, Tennessee. It is home to the city's largest sports park, and the stadium is the largest high school/middle school stadium. Within this park are 7 soccer fields...
(1,152 students) - West Creek High SchoolWest Creek High SchoolWest Creek High School is a public high school located in Clarksville, Tennessee. It is part of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System....
(1,000 students) - Montgomery Central High SchoolMontgomery Central High SchoolMontgomery Central High School is a high school located in rural Cunningham outside Clarksville, Tennessee. It is part of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. Approximately 950 students were enrolled as of the 2005-2006 school year. It has a GreatSchools Rating of 8 out of 10...
(950 students)
Public elementary schools in Clarksville-Montgomery County:
- Barkers Mill Elementary School (~1,110 students) - "Favorite Public School" (The Leaf-ChronicleThe Leaf-ChronicleThe Leaf-Chronicle is a newspaper in the state of Tennessee, founded, officially, in 1890.First appearing as a weekly newspaper under various names as early as 1808 and eventually as the Clarksville Chronicle, the current name is the result of a subsequent merger, in 1890, with the Tobacco Leaf,...
's 2010 Readers Choice Awards, 2011 Readers Choice Awards) - Barksdale
- Burt
- Byrns Darden
- Cumberland Heights
- East Montgomery
- Liberty
- Minglewood
- Moore Magnet
- Norman Smith
- Ringgold
- Rossview
- St. Bethlehem
- Woodlawn
- West Creek
Biggest public primary/middle schools in Clarksville-Montgomery County:
- Northeast Middle School (Students: 800; Grades: 6 - 8)
- Kenwood Middle School (Students: 750; Grades: 6 - 8)
- Richview Middle School (Students: 1,076; Grades: 6 - 8)
- Glenellen Elementary School (Students: 1,058; Grades: KG - 5)
- New Providence Middle School (Students: 1,027; Grades: 6 - 8)
- Rossview Middle School (Students: 996; Grades: 6 - 8)
- Sango Elementary School (Students: 941; Grades: KG - 5)
- Northeast Elementary School (Students: 933; Grades: KG - 5)
- Hazelwood Elementary School (Students: 913; Grades: KG - 5)
- Barkers Mill Elementary School (Students: 1,110; Grades KG - 5)
- Kenwood Elementary School (Students: 799; Grades: KG - 5)
- Montgomery Central Middle School (Students: ?; Grades: 6 - 8) (Cunningham, Tennessee)
- West Creek Middle School (Students: 1000; Grades: 6-8)
- Montgomery Central Elementary School (Students: 400; Grades: KG - 5) (Cunningham, Tennessee)
Private schools
Private high schools in Clarksville-Montgomery County:- Clarksville AcademyClarksville AcademyClarksville Academy is a private college-preparatory school in Clarksville, Tennessee, offering pre-kindergarten through grade 12. It focuses on a combination of academic and athletic excellence...
(Students: 613; ST; Grades: PK - 12) - Montgomery Christian Academy (Students: 175; Grades: PK - 12)
- Bible Baptist Academy (Students: 142; Grades: PK - 12) (closed 2000)
- Weems Academy (Students: 58; Grades: 4 - 12)
- Academy for Academic Excellence (Students: 50; Grades: 1 - 12)
- Helicon/Clarksville Diagnostic (Students: 25; Grades: 6 - 12)
- Clarksville Christian School (Students: 156; Grades K-10)
Private primary/middle schools in Clarksville:
- St. Mary's Catholic School (Students 140; Grades K - 8)
- Immaculate Conception Preschool (Students: 156; Grades: PK - KG)
- Apostolic Christian School (Students: 17; Grades: PK - 9)
- Little Scholars (Montessori Method, Students 22; Ages 2.5-7)
Economy
Major industrial employers in Clarksville include:- American StandardAmerican Standard BrandsAmerican Standard Brands is a closely held manufacturer of plumbing fixtures, sold under the American Standard, Crane, Fiat, Sanymetal, Showerite and Eljer brand names, based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey, United States. It is principally owned by Sun Capital Partners with Bain Capital...
- Averitt Hardwoods International
- Bridgestone Metalpha USABridgestoneThe is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
- Convergys Corporation- Clarksville's second largest private employer
- Clarksville Foundry
- Florim USA
- Fort CampbellFort CampbellFort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
- Clarksville's largest employer - Hemlock Semiconductor LLC (HSC)
- Hendrickson Trailer Suspensions Systems
- JostensJostensJostens is an American company providing yearbooks and class rings for various high schools and colleges as well as championship rings for sports, including the Super Bowl rings....
, Printing and Publishing Division - Letica Corporation
- Precision Printing & Packaging
- Premiumwear, Inc.
- Print Xcel
- QuebecorQuebecorQuebecor Inc. is a communications company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded by Pierre Péladeau, and remains run by his family. Quebecor Inc. owns 55% of Quebecor Media Inc...
- Robert Bosch CorporationRobert Bosch GmbHRobert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
- Smithfield Manufacturing, Inc
- SPX CorporationSPX CorporationSPX Corporation is a Fortune 500 multi-industry manufacturing firm. SPX's business segments serve developing and emerging end markets, such as global infrastructure, process equipment, and diagnostic tool industries. With corporate headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, they have operations in...
, Metal Forge Division - Startek USA
- TraneTraneTrane Inc. is a subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand and is the successor company to the American Standard Companies. It is a global provider of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and building management systems and controls under the Trane and American Standard brand names...
- Clarksville's largest private employer - UCAR Carbon Corporation
- Vulcan CorporationVulcan CorporationVulcan Corporation is a materials manufacturer that specializes in rubber, plastics, foam products, and bowling pins. Vulcan Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vulcan International Corporation, based in Wilmington, Delaware....
, Rubber Division - Whitson Lumber Company
Other notable local companies include:
- F&M Bank
- Legends Bank
Airports
Clarksville is served commercially by Nashville International AirportNashville International Airport
Nashville International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in southeastern Nashville, Tennessee. The IATA Airport Code BNA is derived from the early name of the facility—Berry Field, NAshville. Berry Field was the name of the airport until 1988, when the name was changed to reflect...
but also has a small airport, Outlaw Field
Outlaw Field
Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Airport , also known as John F. Outlaw Field or simply Outlaw Field, is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Clarksville, a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by the city...
, located 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown. Outlaw Field
Outlaw Field
Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Airport , also known as John F. Outlaw Field or simply Outlaw Field, is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Clarksville, a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by the city...
accommodates nearly 40,000 private and corporate flights a year, and is also home to a pilot training school and a few small aircraft companies. It has two asphalt runways, one 6,000 feet (1800 m) by 100 feet (30 m) and the other 4,004 feet (1200 m) by 100 feet (30 m). Outlaw Field
Outlaw Field
Clarksville-Montgomery County Regional Airport , also known as John F. Outlaw Field or simply Outlaw Field, is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Clarksville, a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by the city...
has received a $35,000 grant. The terminal is under renovation.
Cobb Field is a small private Airport. It is 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the Dover crossings area. just across the street from Liberty elementary. It has 1 runway grass/sod runway that measures at 1752 ft (534 m). This airport is not open to the public.
Recognitions
In the June 2004 issue of MoneyMoney (magazine)
Money is published by Time Inc. Its first issue was published in October 1972. Its articles cover the gamut of personal finance topics ranging from investing, saving, retirement and taxes to family finance issues like paying for college, credit, career and home improvement...
, Clarksville was listed as one of the top five cities with a population of under 250,000 that would attract creative class
Creative class
The Creative Class is a socioeconomic class that economist and social scientist Richard Florida, a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, identifies as a key driving force for economic development of post-industrial...
jobs over the next 10 years.
The city has also received good rankings in various categories in:
- Southern Business & Development Magazine (One of The South's Top 10 Places with Plenty of Talented Labor, May 2006)
- Forbes Magazine (90th Best City for Business and Careers, May 2001)
- Entrepreneur MagazineEntrepreneur MagazineEntrepreneur is a publication that carries news stories about entrepreneurialism, small business management, and business opportunities. It is published by Entrepreneur Media Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California....
(No. 1 small city in the South) - Money (57th Best Place to Live, July 1996)
- Golf DigestGolf DigestGolf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
(America's 11th Best City for Public Golf, July 1998) - Reader's DigestReader's DigestReader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
(38th Family-Friendly City, April 1997) - National Civic LeagueNational Civic LeagueThe National Civic League is an American non-profit organization that advocates for transparency, effectiveness, and openness in local government...
(a 2002 All America City Finalist)
Others can be located at the city's website.
Points of interest
- Downtown Artist Co-Op Also known as the DAC.
- Roxy Theatre (located downtown Clarksville)
- Governor's Square Mall
- Clarksville City ArboretumClarksville City ArboretumThe Clarksville City Arboretum is an arboretum located along the Cumberland River in Fairgrounds Park, Clarksville, Tennessee. It was certified as an arboretum in 2002, and includes over 30 species of trees....
- Clarksville Speedway
- Beachaven Vineyards & Winery
- Ringgold MillRinggold MillOne of the earliest commercial developments in the Clarksville, Tennessee communities is the Ringgold Mill located in what is now north Clarksville. It was a grist mill that was originally built in 1810, by Thomas Rivers. The mill was situated along the banks of the Little West Fork Creek in the...
(located in North Clarksville) - Port Royal State ParkPort Royal State ParkPort Royal State Historic Park is a 26 acre Historic area on the border of Montgomery and Robertson counties in Tennessee. The historic community of Port Royal is its namesake. The Red River runs through the center of the park, and the covered bridge at Port Royal once crossed it...
(historic community site and location of one of the oldest points of European civilization in Montgomery County) - Historic CollinsvilleHistoric CollinsvilleHistoric Collinsville, located in south Montgomery County, Tennessee near Southside, Tennessee is a recreated village/museum that offers a glimpse into mid 19th century life. It contains era specific implements of the early European and African American settlers to the area. Each year there is a...
(Historic village restored to illustrate the living conditions of early European and African American settlers) - Customs House Museum and Cultural CenterCustoms House Museum and Cultural CenterThe Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is Tennessee's second largest general interest museum. It features fine art, history, and children's exhibits...
(located in downtown Clarksville, second largest general museum in Tennessee) - L & N Train Station Restored downtown train station.
- Wilma RudolphWilma RudolphWilma Glodean Rudolph was an American athlete. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, in 1956 and in 1960....
Statue (To honor one of America's most outstanding Olympic athletes and her legacy) - Cumberland RiverWalk
- Dunbar Cave
- King's Bluff Rock climbing located along (Cumberland River) with over 200 routes
- Clarksville Public Square
- Alter Gallery
- Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire (Sculpture by Gregg SchlangerGregg SchlangerGregg Schlanger is a Professor of Art and Chair of the Department of Art at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. He received his BFA from Boise State University in 1987 and his MFA from Northern Illinois University in 1989. Schlanger's work has been exhibited both nationally and...
located in Public Square) - Enoch Tanner WickhamEnoch Tanner WickhamEnoch Tanner Wickham , 1882–1970, was a self-taught folk artist who built life-size concrete statues along a rural road in Palmyra, Tennessee. Wickham began his creations in 1950 at the age of 67 after retiring from being a tobacco farmer and raising nine children.The first statue Wickham built was...
Statues located in nearby Palmyra, TennesseePalmyra, TennesseePalmyra is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is located along State Route 149 southwest of Clarksville. The town has its own post office with the ZIP Code of 37142. Palmyra has a rich civil war history where MAJ GEN Joseph Wheeler of the Confederate army...