Englewood, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Englewood is a town in McMinn County, Tennessee
, United States
. The population was 1,590 at the 2000 census.
, the town has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land. The town is situated in the Chestuee Creek Valley, a broad valley carved by a tributary of the Hiwassee River
, which passes a few miles to the southwest. The Unicoi Mountains, part of the greater Blue Ridge Range
, dominate the horizon to the south. U.S. Route 411
connects Englewood to Madisonville
to the northeast and Etowah
to the south. Tennessee State Highway 39 (South Niota Road and West Athens Street) connects Englewood to Athens
, opposite the hills to the west and as Tellico Street, connects Englewood to Tellico Plains
to the east.
of 2000, there were 1,590 people, 670 households, and 456 families residing in the town. The population density
was 934.4 people per square mile (361.1/km²). There were 760 housing units at an average density of 446.6 per square mile (172.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.67% White, 0.06% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.44% from other races
, and 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.
There were 670 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples
living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,000, and the median income for a family was $29,792. Males had a median income of $29,000 versus $22,583 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,752. About 17.0% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
In 1857, a businessman named John Dixon established the Eureka Cotton Mills near what is now Englewood, which used regionally-grown cotton to produce yarn. The small mill community that developed around the mill became known as Eureka Mills. By 1875, Elisha Brient, a partner of Dixon's, and several of Brient's relatives had acquired Eureka Cotton Mills, and in 1894 the Brients renamed the town of Eureka Mills "Englewood". The name was suggested by Nancy Chestnutt, a sister-in-law of James Brient, who thought the area resembled the English forests of the Robin Hood
tales she had read about as a child.
In the late 19th century, the Brients began building shops and gristmills approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of their milltown at a railroad stop called Tellico Junction, where the Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern Railroad (which roughly followed modern US-411) intersected the Tellico Railroad (which connected Athens and Tellico Plains
). The Brients also expanded their Englewood operation, establishing a flour and feed mill in partnership with J.W. Chestnutt. In 1907, the entire Englewood operation was moved to Tellico Junction to take advantage of the railroad. The following year, Tellico Junction was renamed Englewood. The original milltown became known as "Old Englewood".
In 1917, Chestnutt formed the Englewood Manufacturing Company, which built a hosiery mill at Englewood. Englewood grew to include housing for 300 workers, and had its own company stores, sawmill, and school. The tenement section associated with the Eureka Cotton Mill became known as "Yellow Top", the section associated with the hosiery mill became known as "Socktown", and the section associated with the flour mill was called "Onion Hill". Women worked at the mills in large numbers, mainly as weavers, although men held most supervisory positions.
During the Great Depression
, the Englewood mills were forced to close, and many of the town's residents joined various federal work programs. During World War II
, the Eureka Cotton Mill was refurbished by the United National Clothing Center, which made clothing for donations to wartorn countries. Several mills and factories established operations at Englewood over subsequent decades, but most had shut down by the late 1990s. The last of the Englewood mills, Allied Hosiery, closed its doors in 2008. The Englewood Textile Museum, near the corner of Niota Street and Main Street, interprets the town's manufacturing history.
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 1,590 at the 2000 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 town has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land. The town is situated in the Chestuee Creek Valley, a broad valley carved by a tributary of the Hiwassee River
Hiwassee River
The Hiwassee River has its headwaters on the north slope of Rocky Mountain in Towns County in northern Georgia and flows northward into North Carolina before turning westward into Tennessee, flowing into the Tennessee River a few miles west of State Route 58 in Meigs County, Tennessee...
, which passes a few miles to the southwest. The Unicoi Mountains, part of the greater Blue Ridge Range
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
, dominate the horizon to the south. U.S. Route 411
U.S. Route 411
U.S. Highway 411 is an alternate parallel-highway associated with U.S. Highway 11. U.S. 411 extends for about 313 miles from U.S. Route 78 in Leeds, Jefferson County, Alabama, to U.S. Highway 25 in Newport, Cocke County, Tennessee. U.S. 411 passes through the northeastern State of Alabama, the...
connects Englewood to Madisonville
Madisonville, Tennessee
Madisonville is a city in Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,939 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County and the location of Hiwassee College.-Geography:...
to the northeast and Etowah
Etowah, Tennessee
Etowah is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,663 at the 2000 census.-History:Etowah was founded in 1906, primarily as a location for a depot on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad line as part of a more direct route between Atlanta, Georgia and Cincinnati, Ohio...
to the south. Tennessee State Highway 39 (South Niota Road and West Athens Street) connects Englewood to Athens
Athens, Tennessee
Athens is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of McMinn County and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area. The population was 13,220 at the 2000...
, opposite the hills to the west and as Tellico Street, connects Englewood to Tellico Plains
Tellico Plains, Tennessee
Tellico Plains is a town in Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 859 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tellico Plains is located at ....
to the east.
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 1,590 people, 670 households, and 456 families residing in the town. 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 934.4 people per square mile (361.1/km²). There were 760 housing units at an average density of 446.6 per square mile (172.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.67% White, 0.06% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.44% 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 1.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.94% of the population.
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, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,000, and the median income for a family was $29,792. Males had a median income of $29,000 versus $22,583 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 town was $13,752. About 17.0% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
History
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
tales she had read about as a child.
In the late 19th century, the Brients began building shops and gristmills approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of their milltown at a railroad stop called Tellico Junction, where the Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern Railroad (which roughly followed modern US-411) intersected the Tellico Railroad (which connected Athens and Tellico Plains
Tellico Plains, Tennessee
Tellico Plains is a town in Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 859 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tellico Plains is located at ....
). The Brients also expanded their Englewood operation, establishing a flour and feed mill in partnership with J.W. Chestnutt. In 1907, the entire Englewood operation was moved to Tellico Junction to take advantage of the railroad. The following year, Tellico Junction was renamed Englewood. The original milltown became known as "Old Englewood".
In 1917, Chestnutt formed the Englewood Manufacturing Company, which built a hosiery mill at Englewood. Englewood grew to include housing for 300 workers, and had its own company stores, sawmill, and school. The tenement section associated with the Eureka Cotton Mill became known as "Yellow Top", the section associated with the hosiery mill became known as "Socktown", and the section associated with the flour mill was called "Onion Hill". Women worked at the mills in large numbers, mainly as weavers, although men held most supervisory positions.
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 Englewood mills were forced to close, and many of the town's residents joined various federal work programs. 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...
, the Eureka Cotton Mill was refurbished by the United National Clothing Center, which made clothing for donations to wartorn countries. Several mills and factories established operations at Englewood over subsequent decades, but most had shut down by the late 1990s. The last of the Englewood mills, Allied Hosiery, closed its doors in 2008. The Englewood Textile Museum, near the corner of Niota Street and Main Street, interprets the town's manufacturing history.
External links
- Englewood, Tennessee — official site