Marion County, Tennessee

History

Marion County was established in 1817 from lands acquired from the Cherokee.

In 1779 Cherokee chief Dragging Canoe moved down the Tennessee River from Chickamauga Creek to Running Water creek, and helped establish the associated town of Nickajack in front of the entrance to Nickajack Cave. In 1794, this town was attacked and burned. This attack was led by Colonel James Orr of Nashville, Tennessee. The town was rebuilt and the Chickamauga Band of Indians continued to live here until 1838, when all remaining Indians were removed from Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia via the Trail of Tears.

In the Spring of 1861, Robert Cravens of Chattanooga began mining saltpeter, the main ingredient of gunpowder, at Nickajack Cave. This operation was eventually taken over by the Confederate Niter Bureau. At one point, Nickajack Cave was one of the main sources of saltpeter for the Confederate States of America. Nickajack Cave was visited by thousands of Civil War troops, who moved up and down the Tennessee River on boats.

Another important saltpeter mine during the Civil War was Monteagle Saltpeter Cave, located in Cave Cove, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Monteagle. During the Civil War, it was referred to as Battle Creek Cave. A 1917 visitor to the cave reported 25 or 30 old hoppers remaining in the cave.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, coal and iron ore mining industries dominated the county's economy. Mines operated in Whitwell and Inman, and smelters operated in South Pittsburg.

Hales Bar Dam, built along the Tennessee River in Marion County between 1905 and 1913, was one of the nation's first major dams constructed across a navigable channel. The Tennessee Valley Authority replaced Hales Bar with Nickajack Dam further downstream in the 1960s, though the Hales Bar powerhouse (now a boathouse) still stands.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 512 square miles (1,330 km²), of which 498 square miles (1,290 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (2.8%) is water. Marion is one of three Tennessee counties, along with Bledsoe and Sequatchie, located in the Sequatchie Valley, a long, narrow valley slicing through the southeastern Cumberland Plateau. The Sequatchie River, which drains the valley, empties into the Tennessee River just south of Jasper.

Nickajack Dam is located along the Tennessee River near Jasper, creating Nickajack Lake. The section of the river immediately downstream from the dam is part of Guntersville Lake. The Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant is located in the extreme southeastern part of the county.

Adjacent counties

State protected areas

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 28,237 people, 11,403 households, and 8,030 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 12,954 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²).

The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% White(non-Hispanic), 3.6% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.80% under the age of 18 and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. The female population was 50.9%.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,419, and the median income for a family was $36,351. Males had a median income of $30,236 versus $21,778 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,419. About 10.80% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.00% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The schools in Marion County are:

Media

Marion County is served by numerous local, regional and national media outlets which reach approximately one million people in four states including: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina.

Newspapers

Radio

Marion County is part of the Chattanooga Arbitron radio market. The following radio stations are licensed to cities within Marion County:

Television

Marion County is part of the Chattanooga DMA. Cable TV companies in Marion County include Charter Communications and Trinity Cable

Airport

Marion County Airport, also known as Brown Field, is a county-owned, public-use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) southeast of the central business district of Jasper.

Parks and natural features

Nickajack Cave in Marion County, located 0.6 miles south of Shellmound Station on the west side of the Tennessee River, is one of the most historical caves in Tennessee. It is currently part of a park run by the city of New Hope. A paved hiking trail leads to an observation deck at the entrance to the cave where visitors can watch the bats leave the cave at dusk. The cave was used by tourists and as a show cave, but in 1968 the cave was flooded when Tennessee Valley Authority constructed Nickajack Dam 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream to replace the aging Hales Bar Dam.

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Notable people