Henderson County, Tennessee

History

Henderson County was established in 1821; it was named for Lt. Colonel James Henderson, Jr. (1775-1814), of the Tennessee State Militia, who was killed in late December 1814 below New Orleans during a clash with the British Army. Henderson is said to have served in earlier conflicts such as the Creek Indian war, which took place during the same overall time period as the War of 1812.

After the Battle of New Orleans, Major General William Carroll's Tennessee brigade, which was the largest single force under General Andrew Jackson's command in Louisiana, established their outgoing camp upriver from New Orleans and named it Camp Henderson.

General Carroll's first term as Governor of Tennessee began the same year that Henderson County was established. Perhaps it was he who proposed naming the new county after his fallen officer James Henderson.

The county seat, Lexington, was laid out in 1822. Like many Tennessee counties, Henderson was divided during the Civil War. Confederate sentiment was strongest in the western half of the county (where most of the county's plantations were located), while Union support was strongest in the hilly eastern half.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 526 square miles (1,360 km²), of which 520 square miles (1,300 km²) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km²) (1.1%) is water.

The county straddles the Tennessee Valley Divide, with waters east of the divide flowing into the Tennessee River, and waters west of the divide flowing into the Mississippi River. Primary streams include the Beech River and the Forked Deer River.

Adjacent counties

State protected areas

Major Highways

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 25,522 people, 10,306 households, and 7,451 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 11,446 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.45% White, 8.00% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,306 households out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,057, and the median income for a family was $38,475. Males had a median income of $28,598 versus $21,791 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,019. About 9.20% of families and 12.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 14.50% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The Beech River Regional Airport is a public-use airport located five nautical miles northwest (5.8 mi, 9.3 km) northwest of the central business district of Parsons, a city in Decatur County. The airport is located in Darden, Tennessee.

City

Town

Census-designated places