Marshall County, Tennessee

Marshall County
Marshall County
County
	Marshall County Courthouse in Lewisburg
	Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
	Tennessee's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 35°28′N 86°46′W / 35.47°N 86.77°W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	February 20, 1836
Named for	John Marshall
Seat	Lewisburg
Largest city	Lewisburg
Area
• Total	376 sq mi (970 km2)
• Land	375 sq mi (970 km2)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (2 km2) 0.2%
Population (2020)
• Total	34,318
• Density	82/sq mi (32/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	marshallcountytn.com

Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,318.^[2] Its county seat is Lewisburg.^[3] Marshall County comprises the Lewisburg Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is in Middle Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of the state.

The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association is based here. In addition, the fainting goat is another animal breed developed here. To celebrate this unique breed, the county holds an annual festival known as "Goats, Music and More," drawing visitors from around the world.^[4]

History

Marshall County was created in 1836 from parts of Giles, Bedford, Lincoln, and Maury counties. Marshall County was originally to be named Cannon County, but due to a clerical error at the time of formation, the names of Marshall and Cannon counties, both formed in 1836, were accidentally swapped and never corrected.^{[citation needed]} It was named after the American jurist John Marshall, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.^[1]

The economy was based on agriculture in the antebellum years and well into the twentieth century. Planters had depended on the labor of enslaved African Americans to work the commodity crops of tobacco and hemp, as well as care for thoroughbred horses and other quality livestock. The breed known as the Tennessee Walking Horse was developed here.

After the war, blacks and whites struggled to adjust to emancipation and a free labor market. Freedmen founded Needmore as a community in Marshall County after the Civil War where they could live as neighbors and be relatively free of white supervision.^[5]

Whites committed violence against freedmen to re-establish and maintain dominance after the war. In the period after Reconstruction and into the early 20th century, whites in Marshall County committed eight lynchings of African Americans. This was the fifth-highest total of any county in the state, but three other counties, including two nearby, also had eight lynchings each.^[6]

Among these lynchings were the murders of John Milligan (also spelled Millikin) and John L. Hunter in the Needmore settlement near the county seat of Lewisburg in August 1903. Governor James B. Frazier offered a reward for information, as Whitecaps were blamed for the deaths, and the state was trying to eliminate this secret, vigilante group.^[5] In the early 20th century, numerous African Americans left the county during the period of the Great Migration to northern and midwestern industrial cities for work.

Three Tennessee governors— Henry Horton, Jim Nance McCord, and Buford Ellington— were each living in Marshall County at the time of their election as governor.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 376 square miles (970 km²), of which 375 square miles (970 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) (0.2%) is water.^[7] The Duck River drains much of the county.

Adjacent counties

Rutherford County (northeast)
Bedford County (east)
Lincoln County (southeast)
Giles County (southwest)
Maury County (west)
Williamson County (northwest)

State protected areas

Henry Horton State Park
Wilson School Road Forest and Cedar Glades State Natural Area

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	14,555	—
1850	15,616	7.3%
1860	14,592	−6.6%
1870	16,207	11.1%
1880	19,259	18.8%
1890	18,906	−1.8%
1900	18,763	−0.8%
1910	16,872	−10.1%
1920	17,375	3.0%
1930	15,574	−10.4%
1940	16,030	2.9%
1950	17,768	10.8%
1960	16,859	−5.1%
1970	17,319	2.7%
1980	19,698	13.7%
1990	21,539	9.3%
2000	26,767	24.3%
2010	30,617	14.4%
2020	34,318	12.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1790–1960,^[9] 1900–1990,^[10] 1990–2000,^[11] 2010-2014^[2]

2020 census

Marshall County racial composition^[14]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	28,255	82.33%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,018	5.88%
Native American	103	0.3%
Asian	142	0.41%
Pacific Islander	7	0.02%
Other/Mixed	1,558	4.54%
Hispanic or Latino	2,235	6.51%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 34,318 people, 12,324 households, and 8,624 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census^[15] of 2000, there were 26,767 people, 10,307 households, and 7,472 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile (27 people/km²). There were 11,181 housing units at an average density of 30 units per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.42% White, 7.77% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 2.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,307 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,457, and the median income for a family was $45,731. Males had a median income of $31,876 versus $22,362 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,749. About 7.30% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.80% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Lewisburg (county seat)

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Politics

The county's political history is similar to the vast majority of Middle Tennessee, where it was a solidly Democratic county throughout the first half of the 20th century, but began making shifts to the Republican Party starting in the 1970s.

One notable result in this county came in the 1928 election, when Herbert Hoover and Al Smith tied the county with a total of 735 votes apiece.

United States presidential election results for Marshall County, Tennessee^[16]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	11,043	74.22%	3,605	24.23%	230	1.55%
2016	8,184	71.44%	2,852	24.90%	419	3.66%
2012	6,832	63.61%	3,725	34.68%	184	1.71%
2008	6,755	59.84%	4,320	38.27%	214	1.90%
2004	5,825	54.88%	4,722	44.48%	68	0.64%
2000	4,105	43.86%	5,107	54.57%	147	1.57%
1996	2,781	35.14%	4,447	56.20%	685	8.66%
1992	2,516	31.07%	4,491	55.46%	1,091	13.47%
1988	2,975	51.37%	2,795	48.26%	21	0.36%
1984	3,416	53.43%	2,935	45.91%	42	0.66%
1980	2,282	34.23%	4,277	64.16%	107	1.61%
1976	1,674	26.96%	4,457	71.78%	78	1.26%
1972	2,593	59.23%	1,526	34.86%	259	5.92%
1968	1,202	19.68%	1,527	25.00%	3,379	55.32%
1964	1,340	25.15%	3,989	74.85%	0	0.00%
1960	1,717	31.87%	3,625	67.29%	45	0.84%
1956	1,527	26.58%	4,100	71.37%	118	2.05%
1952	1,525	28.44%	3,837	71.56%	0	0.00%
1948	517	12.04%	3,059	71.22%	719	16.74%
1944	500	11.59%	3,812	88.34%	3	0.07%
1940	389	11.04%	3,132	88.90%	2	0.06%
1936	300	10.95%	2,431	88.76%	8	0.29%
1932	283	11.46%	2,167	87.73%	20	0.81%
1928	735	50.00%	735	50.00%	0	0.00%
1924	349	16.74%	1,696	81.34%	40	1.92%
1920	753	29.01%	1,828	70.42%	15	0.58%
1916	461	21.60%	1,652	77.41%	21	0.98%
1912	376	18.57%	1,551	76.59%	98	4.84%
1908	440	21.31%	1,544	74.77%	81	3.92%
1904	620	21.23%	2,152	73.67%	149	5.10%
1900	763	24.20%	2,184	69.27%	206	6.53%
1896	849	22.61%	2,835	75.50%	71	1.89%
1892	685	20.18%	2,185	64.36%	525	15.46%
1888	786	24.39%	2,291	71.08%	146	4.53%
1884	728	25.53%	2,084	73.07%	40	1.40%
1880	548	20.77%	2,006	76.04%	84	3.18%

References

^ ^a ^b Carroll Van West, "Marshall County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 11, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 6, 2013.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ About the Festival Archived October 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Goats, Music and More website, 2013. Retrieved: October 23, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Reward for Whitecaps", Lewisburg Tribune News, August 11, 1903- Vol.3 (posted by Martha Smotherman Mendez), Genealogy Trails; accessed May 25, 2018
^ Lynching in America, Third Edition: Supplement by County Archived October 23, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, p. 9, Equal Justice Initiative, Mobile, AL, 2017
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 20, 2019.
^ Based on 2000 census data
^ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 11, 2018.