Purdy, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
unincorporated community
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
3.5 mi (5.6 km) northeast of
Selmer
Selmer, Tennessee
Selmer is a town in McNairy County, Tennessee, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 4,541 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McNairy County...
in McNairy 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...
. Until 1890, Purdy was the county seat of McNairy County.Purdy McNairy Co. TN
Failed railroad development in the 1850s kept the community rural until today, without industries, major business ventures or tourism. The reason the town failed was that it was burned in 1863 by Fielding Hurst, a resident and Union officer. Hurst was appointed a judge after the war, and none of the educated Confederate sympathizers stayed in a town run by the Union. They all moved up to Jackson and made Jackson a very successful post war town.
Demographics
In 1850, according to 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...
records, the population of Purdy was 260. The population was residing in 43 dwellings in the district.http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tn/mcnairy/census/1850/1850-pudey.txt rootsweb.com, Census, Purdy, 1850
Geography
Purdy is located at 35.22670 North, 88.53060 West, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) northeast of Selmer in McNairy County.
The elevation above sea level is 570 ft (173.7 m).
History
Failed railroad development 1850s
In the 1850s, citizens of Purdy refused to financially support a railroad line through their community, while residents of Selmer, Tennessee, supported a railroad through their town. The railroad brought business and wealth to Selmer and the rural community of Purdy remained rural.County seat changed 1890
In 1890, due to the increasing economic development of Selmer following the railroad, the county seat was moved from Purdy to Selmer in a decision of Selmer voters. Since 1890, Selmer has been the county seat of McNairy County, Tennessee.http://www.mytennesseegenealogy.com/tn_county/mcn.htm MyTennesseeGenealogy.comFolklore
Col. Fielding Hurst, an officer in the Civil War, was murdered by one of his enemies in his mansion in 1871, according to local folkloreFolklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. This is false. Fielding Hurst sold his home in Purdy to pay debts and lived in Mount Gilead, Tennessee, where he died in 1882. He is said to have been responsible for the death of some residents of Purdy. According to folklore, the cemetery and the mansion are haunted by the souls who lost their lives. Graves in the Purdy cemetery date back to the early 19th century and the Civil War era. The Hurst Mansion is currently owned and operated by Darren and Roxie Holt and Ricky and Rhonda Miller, both of Purdy. A haunted house attraction is centered around the mansion annually at www.purdyhauntedmansion.com.
Newspaper
Purdy's newspaper is the Independent Appeal, which serves all of McNairy County. It was founded in 1902. It is located at 111 N. 2nd St. in Selmer.Historical
After the abolition of slavery, sharecroppingSharecropping
Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...
was the primary means of income for low income families in the area. Mostly for the cultivation of cotton, land would be used by sharecroppers in return for a share of the crop to the landowner.
Modern
Modern machines like the cotton pickerCotton picker
The mechanical cotton picker is a machine that automates cotton harvesting in a way that reduces harvest time and maximizes efficiency.-History:...
have made the manual cultivation
Tillage
Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...
obsolete over time as they took over the work from the hand laborers
Manual labour
Manual labour , manual or manual work is physical work done by people, most especially in contrast to that done by machines, and also to that done by working animals...
.
In 2007, Purdy was a rural unincorporated community with no industries, major business ventures or tourism.
Notable natives
- Marcus Joseph WrightMarcus Joseph WrightMarcus Joseph Wright was a lawyer, author, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was agent for collection of Confederate records for War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, a U.S. War Department publication.-Early life:Wright was born in Purdy,...
(1831–1922), military governor of ColumbusColumbus, KentuckyColumbus is a city in Hickman County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 229 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbus is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, KentuckyKentuckyThe 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...
, in the Civil War and author, born in Purdy. - John Vines WrightJohn Vines WrightJohn Vines Wright was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 7th congressional district of Tennessee.-Biography:Wright was born in Purdy, Tennessee, in McNairy County...
(1828–1908), a member of the 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...
, born in Purdy.