Maynardville, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Maynardville is a city in and the county seat
of Union County, Tennessee
, United States
. Its population was 1,782 at the 2000 census
. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Maynardville was the birthplace of country music
singers Roy Acuff
and Carl Smith
.
What is now Maynardville began in the early 19th century as a small community known as Liberty. When Union County was created in the 1850s, Liberty, being nearest the center of the county, was chosen as the county seat. The land for the courthouse square was donated by Marcus Monroe (1793–1870), a local minister.
Shortly after the Tennessee General Assembly
passed legislation authorizing the creation of Union County, Knox County
secured an injunction
blocking the creation of the new county, which would take some of its area from Knox County. To defend the new county, its supporters retained the services of Horace Maynard
(1814–1882), a Knoxville-area attorney and later U.S. Postmaster General. After Maynard successfully defended the new county in litigation proceedings, Liberty was renamed "Maynardville" in his honor. Union County was formally recognized in 1856.
Country music singer Roy Acuff was born in Maynardville in 1903. The Acuff family had been well-established in Union County since the mid-19th century. When Goodspeed published its History of Tennessee in 1887, the Union County section included a brief biography of Roy's grandfather, Coram Acuff (1846–1931), who represented Union County in the state legislature. Other notable country musicians born in the Maynardville vicinity include Carl Smith, Chet Atkins
, and Kenny Chesney
, the latter two having been born in nearby Luttrell
.
, these two ridges are long and narrow, and often fractured into smaller hills and knobs. The Norris Lake
impoundment of the Clinch River
is located approximately 5 miles (8 km) north of Maynardville.
Maynardville is centered around a stretch of TN 33, which connects the city to the suburbs of north Knoxville
to the southwest and Tazewell
to the northeast. TN 61
intersects (and briefly merges with) TN-33 approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of Maynardville, and TN 144 intersects TN 33 to the west.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14 km²), all land.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 1,782 people, 683 households, and 463 families residing in the city. The population density
was 330.1 people per square mile (127.4/km²). There were 769 housing units at an average density of 142.4 per square mile (55.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.37% White, 0.17% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.11% Asian, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population.
There were 683 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples
living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,077, and the median income for a family was $30,398. Males had a median income of $25,278 versus $18,603 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $12,168. About 20.2% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.8% of those under age 18 and 32.9% of those age 65 or over.
, is said to be a moonshine
r from Maynardville.
In the cult classic, 1958 film, Thunder Road, the popular theme song, "The Ballad of Thunder Road," cites star Robert Mitchum "screamed by Maynardville."
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 Union 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...
. Its population was 1,782 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee
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...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Maynardville was the birthplace of country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singers Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff
Roy 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...
and Carl Smith
Carl Smith (country musician)
Carl Milton Smith was an American country music singer. Known as "Mister Country," Smith was the husband of June Carter and Goldie Hill, the drinking companion of Johnny Cash, and the father of Carlene Carter...
.
History
Shortly after the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
passed legislation authorizing the creation of Union County, Knox County
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
secured an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
blocking the creation of the new county, which would take some of its area from Knox County. To defend the new county, its supporters retained the services of Horace Maynard
Horace Maynard
Horace Maynard was an American educator, attorney, politician and diplomat active primarily in the second half of the 19th century...
(1814–1882), a Knoxville-area attorney and later U.S. Postmaster General. After Maynard successfully defended the new county in litigation proceedings, Liberty was renamed "Maynardville" in his honor. Union County was formally recognized in 1856.
Country music singer Roy Acuff was born in Maynardville in 1903. The Acuff family had been well-established in Union County since the mid-19th century. When Goodspeed published its History of Tennessee in 1887, the Union County section included a brief biography of Roy's grandfather, Coram Acuff (1846–1931), who represented Union County in the state legislature. Other notable country musicians born in the Maynardville vicinity include Carl Smith, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, and Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
, the latter two having been born in nearby Luttrell
Luttrell, Tennessee
Luttrell is a city in Union County, Tennessee, United States, with a population of 915 as of the 2000 census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
Geography
Maynardville is located at 36°14′45"N 83°48′26"W (36.245932, -83.807214). The city is situated near the center of Raccoon Valley, a narrow valley stretching for roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) between Copper Ridge on the south and Hinds Ridge on the north. Like most mountains in the Ridge-and-Valley AppalachiansRidge-and-valley Appalachians
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...
, these two ridges are long and narrow, and often fractured into smaller hills and knobs. The Norris Lake
Norris Dam
Norris Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control structure located on the Clinch River in Anderson County and Campbell County, Tennessee, USA. Its construction in the mid-1930s was the first major project for the Tennessee Valley Authority, which had been created in 1933 to bring economic...
impoundment of the Clinch River
Clinch River
The Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, Virginia and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...
is located approximately 5 miles (8 km) north of Maynardville.
Maynardville is centered around a stretch of TN 33, which connects the city to the suburbs of north 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...
to the southwest and Tazewell
Tazewell, Tennessee
Tazewell is a town in Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,165 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Claiborne County. The town is named for Henry Tazewell , a U.S. senator from Virginia.-Geography:...
to the northeast. TN 61
Tennessee State Route 61
State Route 61 is a west-to-east highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee that is 69 miles long.State Route 61 begins in Roane County, and it ends in Union County.It overlaps Interstate 75 in Anderson County.-Counties traversed :...
intersects (and briefly merges with) TN-33 approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of Maynardville, and TN 144 intersects TN 33 to the west.
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 5.4 square miles (14 km²), all land.
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 1,782 people, 683 households, and 463 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 330.1 people per square mile (127.4/km²). There were 769 housing units at an average density of 142.4 per square mile (55.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.37% White, 0.17% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.11% Asian, and 1.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.34% of the population.
There were 683 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% 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, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,077, and the median income for a family was $30,398. Males had a median income of $25,278 versus $18,603 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 $12,168. About 20.2% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.8% of those under age 18 and 32.9% of those age 65 or over.
Media
- WMRD-FM, 94.5FM — 350-watt station that plays CountryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, GospelGospel musicGospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, and BluegrassBluegrass musicBluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, and broadcasts local variety shows and local sports.
In popular culture
In the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, the character of 1 SSF First Lieutenant Aldo Raine, portrayed by Brad PittBrad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, is said to be a moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
r from Maynardville.
In the cult classic, 1958 film, Thunder Road, the popular theme song, "The Ballad of Thunder Road," cites star Robert Mitchum "screamed by Maynardville."
External links
- Union County, Tennessee — official site