A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Dickson County | |
|---|---|
 Dickson County Courthouse in Charlotte | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee | |
 Tennessee's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 36°09′N 87°22′W / 36.15°N 87.36°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | October 25, 1803 |
| Named for | William Dickson[1] |
| Seat | Charlotte |
| Largest city | Dickson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 491 sq mi (1,270 km2) |
| • Land | 490 sq mi (1,300 km2) |
| • Water | 1.4 sq mi (4 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 54,315  |
| • Estimate (2023) | 56,729 |
| • Density | 111/sq mi (43/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 615 |
| Congressional district | 7th |
| Website | dicksoncountytn |
Dickson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,315.[2] Its county seat is Charlotte.[3] Dickson County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Dickson County is home to Tennessee's oldest courthouse in continuous use, built in 1835. This is the second courthouse in Charlotte as the first one, a log building, was destroyed in the Tornado of 1833, which destroyed all but one building on the courthouse square.
History
Charlotte, Dickson County's capital, was built on 50 acres of land purchased from Charles Stewart. Charlotte was nearly entirely destroyed after a tornado occurred within its city limits, decimating its jail, courthouse, & roughly 80% of the county's records.[1]
On October 25, 1803, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill creating Dickson County, the 25th of Tennessee's 95 counties. It was formed from parts of Montgomery and Robertson counties, and was named for William Dickson, a Nashville physician then serving in the United States Congress.[1] The first court justices included Montgomery Bell, William Doak, William Russell, Sterling Brewer, Gabriel Allen, Lemuel Harvey, Jesse Craft, Richard C. Napier, and William Teas. The county was organized on March 19, 1804, at the home of Robert Nesbitt, and later sessions of the court were held at various county officials' homes until a courthouse was constructed in 1810.
Dickson County was part of the Military Reserve and was widely settled among the Piney and Cumberland rivers. Initially, cotton was among the county's predominant industries before rye, oats, corn and tobacco had overtaken it. A cotton gin was constructed by Robert Jarman in 1807.[1]
General James Robertson built the first ironworks in west Tennessee in Dickson County. Robertson sold his furnace in 1804 to Montgomery Bell who later sold it to Anthony Wayne Van Leer(1769–1855), who the town Vanleer, TN is named after. Van Leer's family was noted in the anti-slavery cause.[4][5] Other important iron manufacturers included Anthony and Bernard Van Leer and George F. and Richard C. Napier. Iron production was chiefly accomplished through slave labor. Although iron production declined in importance in the post-Civil War period, the furnace was still in production in the early 1940s.[1]
Though a county school board was established in 1807, public education received little government support during the nineteenth century. Among the county's early schools were Tracy Academy, Charlotte Female School, Alexander Campbell School, Edgewood Academy and Normal College, Dickson Academy, Dickson Normal School, Glenwylde Academy, and Ruskin Cave College.[1]
The county voted by a wide margin to join the Confederacy on June 8, 1861. Six infantry companies and a battery of artillery were sent to the south by Dickson County. For the guerrilla forces, Yellow Creek and what is now Cumberland Furnace were favorite rendezvous points. No major confrontations had occurred, but the railroad laid by the Union were subject to frequent attacks.[1]
The Nashville and Northwestern Railroads which were constructed through the county's southern portion became a magnet for migrants from the Great Lakes & Great Plains, who settled in the new railroad towns of Dickson (originally called Sneedville), Tennessee City, White Bluff, and Burns. After two railroad lines were further constructed through Dickson, it became the county's hub for the vast majority of railroad travel, and, by the early 1900s was the commercial and cultural center of Dickson County. The growth of Dickson soon overtook that of Charlotte & produced infighting and debate amongst the county's government as to which town was a better county seat.[1]
In July 1917, a mass meeting was held in the Alamo Theatre in Dickson to raise $760 (equivalent to $25,000 in 2016) to pay for the surveying of the Bristol to Memphis Highway through Dickson County. The money was raised in less than 15 minutes by donations from those present at the meeting. State highway surveyors began surveying the route on August 14, 1917. The building of this highway put the county along the route known as the “Broadway of America,” Highway 70.
The county's most prominent recreational area, Montgomery Bell State Park, was constructed by the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1942. After World War 2, administration of the park was transferred to the state.
The Ruskin Colony and The Coming Nation
The Ruskin Colony (or Ruskin Commonwealth Association) was a 250-member, utopian socialist cooperative established in Dickson County in 1894. Initially located near Tennessee City, it relocated to what is now Ruskin. Internal conflict had brought about the dissolution of the colony by 1899.[1]
The Coming Nation, a socialist communalist paper established by Julius Augustus Wayland in Greensburg, Indiana, was relocated to the Ruskin Colony. It was the forerunner of the Appeal to Reason, which later became a weekly political newspaper published in the American Midwest from 1895 until 1922. The Appeal to Reason was known for its politics, giving support to the Farmers' Alliance and People's Party, before becoming a mainstay of the Socialist Party of America following its establishment in 1901. Using a network of highly motivated volunteers known as the "Appeal Army" to increase its subscription sales, the Appeal's paid circulation climbed to over a quarter million by 1906, and half a million by 1910, making it the largest-circulation socialist newspaper in American history.[6][7]
Governor Frank G. Clement
On November 4, 1952, Frank G. Clement (1920–1969) of Dickson was elected Governor of Tennessee. He served as governor from 1953 to 1959, and again from 1963 to 1967. Known for his energetic speaking ability, he delivered the keynote address at the 1956 Democratic National Convention. The Hotel Halbrook, where Clement was born, still stands in Dickson, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the Hotel operates as the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 491 square miles (1,270 km2), of which 490 square miles (1,300 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) (0.3%) is water.[8]
Dickson County is bordered on the northeast by the Cumberland River. The Harpeth River passes along the county's eastern border.
Ruskin Cave, site of the former socialist colony, is located 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Dickson.
Adjacent counties
- Montgomery County (north)
- Cheatham County (east)
- Williamson County (southeast)
- Hickman County (south)
- Humphreys County (southwest)
- Houston County (northwest)
State protected areas
- Cheatham Lake Wildlife Management Area (part)
- Hotel Halbrook Railroad and Local History Museum (state historic site)
- Montgomery Bell State Natural Area
- Montgomery Bell State Park
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 4,516 | — | |
| 1820 | 5,190 | 14.9% | |
| 1830 | 7,265 | 40.0% | |
| 1840 | 7,074 | −2.6% | |
| 1850 | 8,404 | 18.8% | |
| 1860 | 9,982 | 18.8% | |
| 1870 | 9,340 | −6.4% | |
| 1880 | 12,460 | 33.4% | |
| 1890 | 13,645 | 9.5% | |
| 1900 | 18,635 | 36.6% | |
| 1910 | 19,955 | 7.1% | |
| 1920 | 19,342 | −3.1% | |
| 1930 | 18,491 | −4.4% | |
| 1940 | 19,718 | 6.6% | |
| 1950 | 18,805 | −4.6% | |
| 1960 | 18,839 | 0.2% | |
| 1970 | 21,977 | 16.7% | |
| 1980 | 30,037 | 36.7% | |
| 1990 | 35,061 | 16.7% | |
| 2000 | 43,156 | 23.1% | |
| 2010 | 49,666 | 15.1% | |
| 2020 | 54,315 | 9.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 56,729 | [9] | 4.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2014[2] | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 46,994 | 86.52% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,931 | 3.56% |
| Native American | 181 | 0.33% |
| Asian | 310 | 0.57% |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,313 | 4.26% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,582 | 4.75% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 54,315 people, 19,198 households, and 13,030 families residing in the county.
2000 census
As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 43,156 people, 16,473 households, and 12,173 families residing in the county. The population density was 88 people per square mile (34 people/km2). There were 17,614 housing units at an average density of 36 units per square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.25% European American, 4.58% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 16,473 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,056, and the median income for a family was $45,575. Males had a median income of $32,252 versus $23,686 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,043. About 8.10% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.90% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.
By 2005 the county had a population that was 92.0% non-Hispanic white, 4.4% African-American and 1.7% Latino.
Government
Historically, Dickson County has been a Democratic stronghold; Ulysses Grant carried it in 1868, but after that, it did not vote Republican again until Nixon's 1972 landslide.[17] It has trended powerfully Republican starting in the beginning of the 21st century. An early sign of this could be seen in its back-to-back votes for Reagan in 1984 and George H. W. Bush in 1988, even though it had generally voted Democratic in elections in which the Democratic nominee was losing substantially worse nationally than Dukakis was in 1988 (for example, giving Adlai Stevenson over 70% of its vote in both of his runs). Not only this, but George H. W. Bush was even able to slightly improve on Reagan's vote share, despite the small national swing towards the Democrats in 1988.
However, in the subsequent three elections, Bill Clinton recaptured the county by double digit margins, and Tennessee native Al Gore carried it by over 8%. In 2004, it switched to giving George W. Bush a 10.2% margin, however, and, as of 2020, has voted Republican in every subsequent election, giving the Republican nominee an increased vote share every time. Neither Hillary Clinton in 2016 nor Delaware native Joe Biden in 2020 was able to reach so much as a third of the county's vote.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 17,643 | 72.54% | 6,106 | 25.10% | 574 | 2.36% |
| 2016 | 13,233 | 70.77% | 4,722 | 25.25% | 744 | 3.98% |
| 2012 | 11,296 | 63.34% | 6,233 | 34.95% | 306 | 1.72% |
| 2008 | 11,677 | 59.82% | 7,506 | 38.45% | 336 | 1.72% |
| 2004 | 10,567 | 54.76% | 8,597 | 44.55% | 134 | 0.69% |
| 2000 | 7,016 | 45.10% | 8,332 | 53.56% | 208 | 1.34% |
| 1996 | 5,283 | 38.20% | 7,458 | 53.93% | 1,088 | 7.87% |
| 1992 | 4,450 | 31.58% | 7,863 | 55.79% | 1,780 | 12.63% |
| 1988 | 5,343 | 50.71% | 5,129 | 48.68% | 64 | 0.61% |
| 1984 | 5,846 | 49.52% | 5,809 | 49.21% | 150 | 1.27% |
| 1980 | 3,636 | 34.74% | 6,622 | 63.27% | 209 | 2.00% |
| 1976 | 2,285 | 25.61% | 6,551 | 73.43% | 86 | 0.96% |
| 1972 | 3,645 | 56.55% | 2,619 | 40.63% | 182 | 2.82% |
| 1968 | 1,291 | 18.99% | 2,034 | 29.91% | 3,475 | 51.10% |
| 1964 | 1,281 | 21.33% | 4,724 | 78.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,928 | 32.71% | 3,930 | 66.68% | 36 | 0.61% |
| 1956 | 1,247 | 24.38% | 3,799 | 74.29% | 68 | 1.33% |
| 1952 | 1,415 | 25.22% | 4,196 | 74.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 485 | 15.42% | 2,337 | 74.31% | 323 | 10.27% |
| 1944 | 600 | 20.07% | 2,379 | 79.57% | 11 | 0.37% |
| 1940 | 527 | 15.88% | 2,784 | 83.88% | 8 | 0.24% |
| 1936 | 402 | 16.50% | 2,022 | 82.97% | 13 | 0.53% |
| 1932 | 369 | 15.50% | 2,007 | 84.33% | 4 | 0.17% |
| 1928 | 891 | 38.42% | 1,428 | 61.58% | 0 | 0.00% |