Carthage is a town in and the county seat of Smith County, Tennessee, United States; it is part of the

Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area The Nashville metropolitan area (officially, the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area) is a metropolitan statistical area centered on Nashville, Tennessee, the capital and largest city in Tennessee, in th ...

. The population was 2,306 at the 2010 census. It is located on the

Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...

, which was important to its early development. It is likely best known as the hometown of former Vice President and Senator

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic nom ...

of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa * Botswana Democratic Party * Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *De ...

and his father, Senator

Albert Gore, Sr. Albert Arnold Gore (December 26, 1907 – December 5, 1998) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1953 to 1971. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative fr ...

The younger Gore announced his 1988 and 2000 presidential bids, as well as his 1992 vice-presidential bid, from the steps of the Smith County Courthouse.

History

The earliest known European-American settler in what is now Carthage was William Walton (1760–1816), who arrived in the late 1780s after the United States achieved independence in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

.The History of Smith County"
Smith County Chamber of Commerce, Retrieved: 17 January 2013. ''Circa'' 1800, Walton directed the construction of the Walton Road (Cumberland Turnpike), an early stagecoach route connecting the

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state ...

area in the east with Middle Tennessee. The road, which was roughly paralleled later by the construction of what is now U.S. 70, was influential to the development and early settlement of the Cumberland region. Walton operated a ferry across the Cumberland River and a tavern nearby along the road, around which a small community developed. In 1804, Walton's community was chosen as the county seat of the newly formed Smith County after a heated election, and the town of Carthage was laid out shortly thereafter.Sue Maggart,
Smith County"
''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture,'' 2009. Retrieved: 17 January 2013. Carthage's location at the confluence of the Caney Fork and Cumberland rivers made it an important shipping and steamboat port throughout the first half of the 19th century. The area was developed for tobacco and hemp crops, as well as blooded livestock. Goods were shipped downstream to Nashville. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...

, Carthage became an important post in the Eastern

Highland Rim The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions. Geologically, the Central Basin is a dome. The Highland Rim is a cuesta surround ...

area of Tennessee. Carthage was selected as part of the route Confederate General

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Wester ...

marched the

Army of Mississippi There were three formations known as the Army of Mississippi in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. This name is contrasted against Army of ''the'' Mississippi, which was a Union Army named for the Mississippi River, not ...

through on his

Confederate Heartland Offensive The Confederate Heartland Offensive (August 14 – October 10, 1862), also known as the Kentucky Campaign, was an American Civil War campaign conducted by the Confederate States Army in Tennessee and Kentucky where Generals Braxton Bragg and ...

into Kentucky. Later on March 6, 1863, Union Brigadier General George Crook established a Union outpost in Carthage to serve as a base for his effort to clear out the considerable Confederate guerrilla insurgency from East Tennessee through Middle Tennessee. Carthage's prominence as a river port on the Cumberland River was superseded after the railroads replaced river traffic in the later 19th century. The area's industrial focus shifted to South Carthage and Gordonsville.

Geography

Carthage is located at (36.254960, -85.949211). The town is situated amid a series of low hills at the confluence of the

Caney Fork The Caney Fork River is a river that flows through central Tennessee in the United States, draining a substantial portion of the southwestern Cumberland Plateau and southeastern Highland Rim regions. It is a major tributary of the Cumberland Rive ...

with the

, and just southwest of the latter's

Cordell Hull Lake Cordell Hull Lake is a lake in the Cumberland River in north-central Tennessee, about forty miles east of Nashville, in the vicinity of Carthage. It covers approximately . Cordell Hull Dam, on the Cumberland River, was built by the United States ...

impoundment. South Carthage is located along the opposite bank of the Cumberland to the south.

U.S. Route 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States. ...

passes east-to-west through South Carthage, connecting the area with Nashville to the west and

Cookeville Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's micropolitan areas, or smalle ...

to the east. State Route 53 connects U.S. 70 with Gordonsville and

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to eas ...

to the south. State Route 25 connects Carthage with Trousdale County and north-central Tennessee to the northwest, and State Route 80 connects the town with Macon County to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 2,291 people, 947 households, and 528 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,251 people, 952 households, and 560 families residing in the town. The population density was 784.5 people per square mile (302.8/km²). There were 1,050 housing units at an average density of 365.9 per square mile (141.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.67% White, 6.53%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.76% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population. There were 952 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $32,159. Males had a median income of $30,531 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,709. About 18.6% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Carthage and other surrounding areas in Smith County are served by Smith County Schools and the Smith County Board of Education. They include: *Carthage Elementary *Defeated Elementary * New Middleton Elementary * Union Heights Elementary *

Forks River The Forks River is a river in the James Bay and Moose River drainage basins in Cochrane and Timiskaming Districts in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It flows from Forks Lake to its mouth at Night Hawk Lake, the source of the Frederick House ...

Elementary * Smith County Middle Schoo

*

Gordonsville High School Gordonsville is the name of several towns in North America: United States *Gordonsville, Kentucky *Gordonsville, Minnesota *Gordonsville, Tennessee *Gordonsville, Virginia Canada * Gordonsville, New Brunswick Gordonsville is an unincorporat ...

* Smith County High School *Smith County

Adult Education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...

*Smith County

HeadStart Head start or headstart may refer to: * Headstarting, a technique in nature conservation *Head Start (program), an educational program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services *Head start (positioning) A head start is a start ...

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Carthage has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Notable residents

* William Cullom - Congressman *

– U.S. Senator *

Albert Gore, Jr. Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...

– U.S. Senator and Vice President * Simon Pollard Hughes, Jr. – Governor of Arkansas, 1885–1889 *

Cordell Hull Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871July 23, 1955) was an American politician from Tennessee and the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ...

– U.S. Secretary of State; practiced law in Carthage *

Brandon Maggart Brandon Maggart (born December 12, 1933) is an American actor, painter and author. Life and career Maggart was born Roscoe Maggart, Jr., in Carthage, Tennessee. His acting career began in the early 1950s, at the University of Tennessee. He san ...

– actor *

George McCorkle George McCorkle (October 11, 1946 – June 29, 2007) was a founding member and guitarist for the Marshall Tucker Band. He wrote " Fire on the Mountain", the band's first top 40 hit, though had hoped that Charlie Daniels would record the song. He l ...

– founding member of the

Marshall Tucker Band The Marshall Tucker Band is an American rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Noted for incorporating blues, country, and jazz into an eclectic sound, the Marshall Tucker Band helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. Wh ...

Benton McMillin Benton McMillin (September 11, 1845 – January 8, 1933) was an American politician and diplomat. He served as the 27th governor of Tennessee from 1899 to 1903, and represented Tennessee's 4th district in the United States House of Representativ ...

– Governor of Tennessee, 1899–1903 *

Sharon Wyatt Sharon Wyatt (born February 13, 1953) is an American soap opera actress. Career Wyatt portrayed Tiffany Hill on the daytime soap ''General Hospital'' from July 14, 1981 to July 10, 1984 and again from July 30, 1986 to February 24, 1995. From 2 ...

– actress (General Hospital, Passions) *Keith Habersberger — internet personality, part of YouTube group

The Try Guys ''The Try Guys'' is an American online entertainment group and media production company which produces content for their YouTube channel. The group was founded by Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang. The Try Guys ...

References

External links

Town charter
{{authority control Towns in Smith County, Tennessee Towns in Tennessee County seats in Tennessee Cities in Nashville metropolitan area