Purdy, Tennessee is a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

3.5 mi (5.6 km) northeast of Selmer in

McNairy County McNairy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,075. Its county seat is Selmer. McNairy County is located along Tennessee's border with the state of Mississippi. Sheriff Buford ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. Until 1890, Purdy was the county seat of McNairy County.Purdy McNairy Co. TN
/ref> Failed development in the 1850s kept the community rural thereafter, without industries, major business ventures or tourism. 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 policies ...

the town was a crossroads, but during the war damage was done to the town which led to its decline.

Demographics

In 1850, according to

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

records, the population of Purdy was 260. The population was residing in 43 dwellings in the district.http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tn/mcnairy/census/1850/1850-pudey.txt rootsweb.com, Census, Purdy, 1850

Geography

Purdy is located at 35.22670 North, 88.53060 West, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) northeast of Selmer in

.http://wayhoo.com/index.php?a=wlist&sr=20&state=TN&map=Purdy WayHoo.com Geographic coordinates The elevation above sea level is 570 ft (173.7 m).

History

Purdy was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1825 by Col. John Purdy, and named for him. Purdy was the county seat of

until 1890.

Failed railroad development 1850s

In the 1850s, citizens of Purdy refused to support a railroad line through their community, while residents of Selmer, supported a railroad through their town. The railroad brought business and wealth to Selmer and the rural community of Purdy remained so.

County seat changed 1890

In 1890, due to the increasing economic development of Selmer following the railroad, the county seat was moved from Purdy to Selmer in a decision of Selmer voters. Since 1890, Selmer has been the county seat of McNairy County, Tennessee.https://www.raogk.org/tennessee-genealogy/mcnairy-county/ RAOGK.org

Newspaper

Purdy's newspaper is the ''Independent Appeal'', which serves all of McNairy County. It was founded in 1902. It is located at 111 N. 2nd St. in Selmer.

Economy

The community's main source of income is

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

(especially

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

Historical

After the

abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

sharecropping Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

was the primary means of income for low income families in the area. Mostly for the cultivation of cotton, land would be used by

sharecroppers Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

in return for a share of the crop to the landowner.

Modern

Modern machines such as the cotton picker have made manual cultivation obsolete over time as they took over work from laborers. In 2007, Purdy was a rural unincorporated community with no industries, major business ventures or tourism.

Notable people

Marcus Joseph Wright Marcus Joseph Wright (June 5, 1831 – December 27, 1922) was a lawyer, author, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was agent for collection of Confederate records for ''War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union an ...

(1831–1922), military governor of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, in the Civil War and author, born in Purdy. * John Vines Wright (1828–1908), a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, born in Purdy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purdy, Tennessee Former county seats in Tennessee Unincorporated communities in McNairy County, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee