Pulaski, Tennessee

History

Pulaski was founded in 1809.

The vicinity of Pulaski was the site of a number of skirmishes during the Franklin–Nashville Campaign of the Civil War. In 1863, Confederate courier Sam Davis was hanged in Pulaski by the Union Army on suspicion of espionage.

In 1865, during the early days of the Reconstruction Era, the city became the birthplace of the first Ku Klux Klan (KKK), founded by six Tennessee veterans of the Confederate Army. John C. Lester, John B. Kennedy, James R. Crowe, Frank O. McCord, Richard R. Reed, and J. Calvin Jones established the Ku Klux Klan (K.K.K) in Pulaski on December 25, 1865. The Pulaski riot was a race riot that occurred in Pulaski in the summer of 1867.

Martin Methodist College was founded in Pulaski in 1870.

Geography

Pulaski is located in central Giles County at 35°11′45″N 87°2′4″W (35.195786, -87.034328). The downtown area is on the north side of Richland Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the Elk River.

U.S. Route 31 passes through the center of Pulaski as First Street, leading north 30 miles (48 km) to Columbia and southeast 19 miles (31 km) to Ardmore at the Alabama border. U.S. Route 31 Alternate (E. Grigsby Street) leaves U.S. 31 in the north part of Pulaski and heads northeast 23 miles (37 km) to Lewisburg. U.S. Route 64 passes south of Pulaski on a bypass route; it leads east 29 miles (47 km) to Fayetteville and west 18 miles (29 km) to Lawrenceburg.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.7 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,871 people, 3,455 households, and 2,038 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,200.8 people per square mile (464.0/km²). There were 3,888 housing units at an average density of 593.2 per square mile (229.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.40% White, 27.06% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.

There were 3,455 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,459, and the median income for a family was $37,219. Males had a median income of $30,400 versus $21,714 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,751. About 12.7% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

Airport

Abernathy Field is a public-use airport owned by the City of Pulaski and Giles County. It is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Pulaski.

Education

Pulaski is home to two high schools, Giles County High School and Richland High School (Lynnville). Pulaski is also home to Tennessee Technology Center at Pulaski and to Martin Methodist College.

Events

Pulaski is home of the semi-annual Diana Singing, sponsored by the Churches of Christ, which attracts over 3,000 people to the town in June and September.

Notable people