Crossville, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Crossville is a city in and the county seat
of Cumberland County, Tennessee
, United States
. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.
amidst the headwaters of the Obed River
, which slices a scenic gorge north of Crossville en route to its confluence with the Emory River
to the northeast. Crossville is roughly halfway between the plateau's eastern escarpment along Walden Ridge and its western escarpment along the Highland Rim
. Several small lakes are located on the outskirts of Crossville, including Lake Tansi to the south, Lake Holiday to the west, and Byrd Lake at nearby Cumberland Mountain State Park
. The average elevation of Crossville is approximately 1,890 feet (576 m) above sea level.
Crossville developed at the intersection of two major stage roads by which settlers moved through the area. The roads were gradually widened, improved and turned into paved roads. Two major federal highways: U.S. Route 70
, which traverses Tennessee from east to west, and U.S. Route 127
, which traverses Tennessee from north to south, now roughly follow the old routes. Interstate 40
, which runs roughly parallel to US-70, passes through the northern part of Crossville. Crossville is approximately 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Cookeville
, 70 miles (112.7 km) north of Chattanooga
and 70 miles (112.7 km) west of Knoxville
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 15.1 square miles (39.1 km²), of which, 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (2.32%) is water.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 8,981 people, 3,795 households, and 2,440 families residing in the city. The population density
was 609.2 people per square mile (235.2/km²). There were 4,268 housing units at an average density of 289.5 per square mile (111.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.02% White, 0.14% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races
, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.43% of the population.
There were 3,795 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples
living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,796, and the median income for a family was $33,207. Males had a median income of $26,735 versus $20,217 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,066. About 21.7% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.2% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.
Recent population estimates show the population of Crossville around 11,498 in 2008.
Crossville developed at the intersection of a branch of the Great Stage Road, which connected the Knoxville area with the Nashville area, and the Kentucky Stock Road, a cattle drovers' path connecting Middle Tennessee with Kentucky and later extending to Chattanooga
. These two roads are roughly paralleled by modern US-70 and US-127, respectively.
Around 1800, an early European-American settler named Samuel Lambeth opened a store at this junction, and the small community that developed around it became known as Lambeth's Crossroads. The store was located at what has become the modern intersection of Main Street and Stanley Street, just south of the courthouse. By the time a post office was established in the 1830s, the community had taken the name of "Crossville." In the early 1850s, James Scott, a merchant from nearby Sparta
, purchased the Lambeth store and renamed it Scott's Tavern.
When Cumberland County was formed in 1856, Crossville, being nearest the center of the county, was chosen as county seat. Scott donated the initial 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) for the erection of a courthouse and town square.
Crossville and Cumberland County suffered rampant pillaging throughout the Civil War as the well-developed roads made the area accessible to both occupying Union
and Confederate
forces and bands of renegade guerrillas. With divided communities and families, there was vicious guerrilla warfare, and residents suffered as if there were major battles in the area. The county was divided throughout the conflict, sending a roughly equal number of troops to both sides.
After World War I, US 40 helped connect the town and area to markets for its produce and goods. Additional highways built after World War II improved transportation in the region.
During the Great Depression
, the federal government's Subsistence Homestead Division initiated a housing project south of Crossville known as the Cumberland Homesteads
. The project's purpose was to provide small farms for several hundred impoverished families. The project's recreational area would later become the nucleus for Cumberland Mountain State Park
.
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 Cumberland County, 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...
. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.
Geography
Crossville is located at 35°57′15"N 85°1′53"W (35.954221, -85.031267). The city is situated atop the Cumberland PlateauCumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
amidst the headwaters of the Obed River
Obed River
Obed River is a stream draining a part of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. It, and particularly its tributaries, are important streams for whitewater enthusiasts....
, which slices a scenic gorge north of Crossville en route to its confluence with the Emory River
Emory River
The Emory River is a stream draining a portion of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau.-Hydrography:The Emory River rises on the slopes of Frozen Head and Bird Mountain, prominent peaks in that part of the Cumberland Plateau in Morgan County, Tennessee. Frozen Head is the focus of a Tennessee state park...
to the northeast. Crossville is roughly halfway between the plateau's eastern escarpment along Walden Ridge and its western escarpment along 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....
. Several small lakes are located on the outskirts of Crossville, including Lake Tansi to the south, Lake Holiday to the west, and Byrd Lake at nearby Cumberland Mountain State Park
Cumberland Mountain State Park
Cumberland Mountain State Park is a state park in Cumberland County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of situated around Byrd Lake, a man-made lake created by the impoundment of Byrd Creek in the 1930s...
. The average elevation of Crossville is approximately 1,890 feet (576 m) above sea level.
Crossville developed at the intersection of two major stage roads by which settlers moved through the area. The roads were gradually widened, improved and turned into paved roads. Two major federal highways: U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
, which traverses Tennessee from east to west, and U.S. Route 127
U.S. Route 127
U.S. Route 127 is a long north–south United States highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 near Grayling, Michigan...
, which traverses Tennessee from north to south, now roughly follow the old routes. Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
, which runs roughly parallel to US-70, passes through the northern part of Crossville. Crossville is approximately 30 miles (48.3 km) east of Cookeville
Cookeville, Tennessee
Cookeville is a city in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 23,923 at the 2000 census. of Cookeville's population was 30,435, and the combined total of those living in Cookeville's in 2010 was 65,014. It is the county seat of Putnam County and home to Tennessee...
, 70 miles (112.7 km) north of Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
and 70 miles (112.7 km) west of Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
.
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 15.1 square miles (39.1 km²), of which, 14.7 square miles (38.1 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (2.32%) is water.
Demographics
Census
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 8,981 people, 3,795 households, and 2,440 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 609.2 people per square mile (235.2/km²). There were 4,268 housing units at an average density of 289.5 per square mile (111.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.02% White, 0.14% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.04% 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 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.43% of the population.
There were 3,795 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% 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, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,796, and the median income for a family was $33,207. Males had a median income of $26,735 versus $20,217 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 $18,066. About 21.7% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.2% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.
Recent population estimates show the population of Crossville around 11,498 in 2008.
History
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
. These two roads are roughly paralleled by modern US-70 and US-127, respectively.
Around 1800, an early European-American settler named Samuel Lambeth opened a store at this junction, and the small community that developed around it became known as Lambeth's Crossroads. The store was located at what has become the modern intersection of Main Street and Stanley Street, just south of the courthouse. By the time a post office was established in the 1830s, the community had taken the name of "Crossville." In the early 1850s, James Scott, a merchant from nearby Sparta
Sparta, Tennessee
Sparta is a city in White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,599 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of White County. It was the hometown of Lester Flatt of the bluegrass music legends Flatt and Scruggs.-Geography:...
, purchased the Lambeth store and renamed it Scott's Tavern.
When Cumberland County was formed in 1856, Crossville, being nearest the center of the county, was chosen as county seat. Scott donated the initial 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) for the erection of a courthouse and town square.
Crossville and Cumberland County suffered rampant pillaging throughout the Civil War as the well-developed roads made the area accessible to both occupying 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...
and Confederate
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...
forces and bands of renegade guerrillas. With divided communities and families, there was vicious guerrilla warfare, and residents suffered as if there were major battles in the area. The county was divided throughout the conflict, sending a roughly equal number of troops to both sides.
After World War I, US 40 helped connect the town and area to markets for its produce and goods. Additional highways built after World War II improved transportation in the region.
During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the federal government's Subsistence Homestead Division initiated a housing project south of Crossville known as the Cumberland Homesteads
Cumberland Homesteads
Cumberland Homesteads is a community located in Cumberland County, Tennessee, USA. Established by the New Deal-era Division of Subsistence Homesteads in 1934, the community was envisioned by federal planners as a model of cooperative living for the region's distressed farmers, coal miners, and...
. The project's purpose was to provide small farms for several hundred impoverished families. The project's recreational area would later become the nucleus for Cumberland Mountain State Park
Cumberland Mountain State Park
Cumberland Mountain State Park is a state park in Cumberland County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of situated around Byrd Lake, a man-made lake created by the impoundment of Byrd Creek in the 1930s...
.
Points of interest
- The United States Chess FederationUnited States Chess FederationThe United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
moved its corporate offices to Crossville from New Windsor, New YorkNew Windsor, New YorkNew Windsor is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was estimated at 25,244 in 2010 by the US Census.The Town of New Windsor is in the eastern part of the county, bordering the Town of Newburgh and the City of Newburgh....
in 2005, reportedly to reduce labor costs.
- Highway 127 Corridor SaleHighway 127 Corridor SaleThe Highway 127 Corridor Sale is an outdoor second-hand sale held annually for four days beginning the first Thursday in August along U.S. Route 127. The event has been promoted as "The World's Longest Yard Sale."...
. Promoted as the world's largest yard sale, held annually in August.
- The Cumberland County Playhouse is the only major non-profit professional performing arts resource in rural Tennessee, and one of the 10 largest professional theaters in rural America. It serves more than 165,000 visitors annually with two indoor and two outdoor stages, young audience productions, a comprehensive dance program, a concert series and touring shows.
- Crossville bills itself as "the golf capital of Tennessee" featuring 12 courses. Stonehenge, Heatherhurst Crag, Heatherhurst Brae, Deer Creek, River Run, Four Seasons, The Bear Trace, Dorchester, Mountain Ridge, Renegade, Druid Hills, and Lake Tansi.
- TAP Publishing Co. was created in 1937 by Cosby Harrison with the first publication, that is still being published today, Trade-A-Plane. Over the years TAP Publishing has created and published other products that can be found nationwide and even internationally, such as; Rock & Dirt, Rock & Dirt en Espanol, Tradequip, weatherTAPWeatherTAPWeatherTAP.com is a subsidiary of TAP Publishing Co. based in Crossville, TN. TAP Publishing provides seven different publications, the flagship being Trade-A-Plane, a buy/sell publication for aviation, from which the name TAP was derived. WeatherTAP.com was created to provide weather data for...
, and NextTruck Online.
- The Cumberland County Fair, held every August.
- Until recently, a free-speech zone on the Cumberland County courthouse lawn was the site of several unofficial displays, including a statue of the Flying Spaghetti MonsterFlying Spaghetti MonsterThe Flying Spaghetti Monster is the deity of the parody religion the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism...
, an Iraq and Afghanistan Soldier's Memorial, a miniature Statue of LibertyStatue of LibertyThe Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, chainsaw carvingChainsaw CarvingThe art of chainsaw carving is a fast-growing form of art that combines the modern technology of the chainsaw with the ancient art of woodcarving.- The beginning of the art form :...
s of a nativity sceneNativity sceneA nativity scene, manger scene, krippe, crèche, or crib, is a depiction of the birth of Jesus as described in the gospels of Matthew and Luke...
, Jesus carrying the cross, and monkeys and bears. As of April 30, 2008 the lawn is no longer a free-speech zone due largely to the controversy caused by the Flying Spaghetti Monster statue.
Notable people
- Mandy BarnettMandy BarnettAmanda Carol "Mandy" Barnett is a country music singer and stage actress. In her musical career, she has released three albums and charted three singles on the Billboard country charts. Her highest-charting country single is "Now That's All Right With Me", which reached #43 in 1996...
- Country music singer and actress born in Crossville. - Julie Ann EmeryJulie Ann EmeryJulie Ann Emery, born and raised in Crossville, Tennessee, is a theatre, television and film actress. She attended Webster Conservatory in St. Louis, Missouri, where she studied acting. She began her career at the age of 16 on the theatrical stage and has appeared in several productions, such as A...
- Actress born and raised here. - Stormi HenleyStormi HenleyStormi Bree Henley is a beauty queen from Crossville, Tennessee who won the Miss Teen USA 2009 title.-Background:Henley is the daughter of Kip & Sissi Henley and sister of Darbi Henley. Her father was the winner of The Golf Channel's The Big Break II reality television competition...
- Miss Teen USA 2009. - Earl LloydEarl LloydEarl Francis Lloyd is a retired American basketball player. He was the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association, in the 1950-51 NBA season...
- First African-American to play in an NBA basketball game - Michael SimsMichael SimsMichael Sims is a noted American nonfiction writer, author most recently of The Story of Charlotte's Web . His other nonfiction books include In the Womb: Animals , Apollo’s Fire , Adam's Navel , and Darwin's Orchestra...
- Acclaimed nonfiction writer. - Michael Turner - comic book artist, born in Crossville. President of the entertainment company Aspen MLTAspen MLTAspen MLT is a California entertainment company founded by artist Michael Turner. It has locations in Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey. Launched in January 2003, the company is best known for producing comic books and figurines.-History:...
.
Further reading
- Crossville, Tennessee Pictorial History. Nashville: Turner Publishing Company (2001). ISBN 1563117673