Warren County, TN
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Warren County is a county located on the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,839. Its county seat is McMinnville. Warren County comprises the McMinnville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.


History

Warren County was created in 1807 from a portion of White County, and named for Joseph Warren (1741–1775), a soldier in the American Revolution. The revised
Tennessee State Constitution The Constitution of the State of Tennessee defines the form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules (and means for changing them) of the U.S. State of Tennessee. The original constitution of Tennessee came into effect on June 1, ...
of 1834 stated that no new county could be within of the county seat of the county from which it was formed. The boundaries of five counties formed from Warren— Grundy,
Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...
, Cannon, Coffee and DeKalb— were exactly 12 miles from Warren's county seat, McMinnville, giving the county its distinctive round shape. Warren County was the site of several saltpeter mines. Saltpeter is the main ingredient of gunpowder and was obtained by leaching the earth from several local caves. Hubbards Cave, near Camp Woodlee, was a major operation. Henshaw Cave on Cardwell Mountain (now part of Cumberland Caverns) and Solomon Saltpeter Cave on Ben Lomond Mountain were relatively small mining operations. Most saltpeter mining occurred during the War of 1812 and in the Civil War. The county was largely developed for farming of such crops as tobacco and hemp. While numerous families held enslaved African Americans as workers, they were a minority of the population. Warren County citizens voted to secede from the Union before the American War Between the States in February 1861 in a state referendum. Voters in Tennessee overall decided to remain in the Union in that time. When President Abraham Lincoln demanded that Tennessee provide troops to fight against the Southern states in April 1861, it was viewed as a violation of Article 3, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution. At a new referendum in June 1861, Warren County again, along with a majority of Tennessee's counties, voted for secession. Unlike in some states, slavery was not listed as one of the reasons in Tennessee's secession proclamation. Men from Warren County and surrounding upper Cumberland region formed and served in many units in Tennessee's defense, including the 16th Tennessee Infantr

led by McMinnville resident Col.
John Houston Savage John Houston Savage (October 9, 1815 – April 5, 1904) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 4th congressional district of Tennessee. Biography Savage was born in McMinnville, Tennessee on ...
. The Confederate monumen

next to the county courthouse is dedicated in the memory of the men who served and died in the 16th and lists their names. Men from Warren County and upper Cumberland area joined the 16th TN Infantry Regiment, among others. Their flag is on display at the Texas 'Civil War' Museum in Fort Worth TX.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. The county lies long 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 ...
, near the Cumberland Plateau. The Caney Fork forms part of the county's borders with White and DeKalb counties to the north. The
Rocky River Rocky River may refer to: Localities *Rocky River, Ohio, USA * Rocky River, New South Wales near Uralla, Australia Electorates *Electoral district of Rocky River (South Australia) Streams In Australia: * Rocky River (New South Wales) * R ...
, a tributary of the Caney Fork, forms part of the county's eastern border with Van Buren County. The Collins River, also a tributary of the Caney Fork, flows through the county, and the Barren Fork, a tributary of the Collins, flows through McMinnville. Cardwell Mountain is an imposing natural feature located five miles due east of McMinnville. It is an erosional remnant of the nearby
Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...
. Cardwell Mountain is noted for Cumberland Caverns, an exceptionally long cave which lies underneath the mountain.


Adjacent counties

*
DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missouri ...
(north) * White County (northeast) * Van Buren County (east) *
Sequatchie County Sequatchie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,826. Its county seat is Dunlap. Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga, TN– GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hist ...
(southeast) * Grundy County (south) * Coffee County (southwest) *
Cannon County Cannon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,506. Its county seat is Woodbury. Cannon County is part of the Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Stat ...
(northwest)


Major highways

*
U.S. Route 70S U.S. Route 70S (US 70S) is an alternative to U.S. Route 70 between the western part of Nashville and Sparta in Tennessee. It runs concurrent with US 70 for several blocks in downtown Nashville. The highway follows Murfreesboro Pike from Nashville ...
* State Route 8 * State Route 30 * State Route 55 * State Route 56 * State Route 108 * State Route 136


State protected areas

* Hubbard's Cave State Natural Area * Morrison Meadow State Natural Area * Rock Island State Park (part)


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 of ...
, there were 40,953 people, 15,727 households, and 10,167 families residing in the county.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,276 people, 15,181 households, and 10,824 families residing in the county. The population density was 88 people per square mile (34/km2). There were 16,689 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile (15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.66% White, 3.16% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.42%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.56% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 4.92% of the population were Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race. There were 15,181 households, out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,920, and the median income for a family was $37,835. Males had a median income of $28,409 versus $20,863 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,759. About 13.00% of families and 16.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 17.20% of those age 65 or over.


Recreation

Rock Island State Park is located on the northeastern border with White County. This park is the site of the Tennessee Valley Authority's Great Falls Dam, includes many hiking trails, and offers whitewater rafting. Cumberland Caverns, located east of McMinnville under Cardwell Mountain, is Tennessee's largest
show cave A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...
. It is the second longest mapped cave in Tennessee with of passages, and displays some of the largest cave rooms in eastern North America. Cumberland Caverns is the 15th longest cave in the United States.
Hubbard's Cave Hubbard's Cave is a cave and 50-acre (0.2 km²) natural area located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of McMinnville in Warren County, Tennessee. It is owned by the Tennessee chapter of The Nature Conservancy.gray bat hibernaculum in Tennessee, with over 100,000 bats, is located in the county. The cave is owned by the Nature Conservancy and it is securely gated to protect the bats, which are an Endangered Species.
Falcon Rest Falcon Rest, also known as the Clay Faulkner House, is a historic house in Warren County, Tennessee. It was built in 1896-1897 for Clay Faulkner, the son of politician and mill owner Asa Faulkner, who lived at Falconhurst. With Faulkner lived i ...
, an 1896
Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...
mansion in McMinnville built by local manufacturer
Clay Faulkner Falcon Rest, also known as the Clay Faulkner House, is a historic house in Warren County, Tennessee. It was built in 1896-1897 for Clay Faulkner, the son of politician and mill owner Asa Faulkner, who lived at Falconhurst. With Faulkner lived ...
, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is open to the public as a historic house museum. His father's mansion in the same city,
Falconhurst Falconhurst is a historic mansion in McMinnville, Tennessee, U.S. It was built in 1850 for Asa Faulkner, the owner of textile mills, and a politician who served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate. It w ...
, is also on the NRHP.


Communities


City

* McMinnville (county seat)


Towns

* Centertown *
Morrison Morrison may refer to: People * Morrison (surname), people with the Scottish surname Morrison * Morrison Heady (1829–1915), American poet * Morrison Mann MacBride (1877–1938), Canadian merchant Places in the United States * Morrison, Colorad ...
* Viola


Unincorporated communities

*
Berea Berea may refer to: Places Greece * Beroea, a place mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, now known as Veria or Veroia Lesotho * Berea District Romania * Berea, a village in Ciumești Commune, Satu Mare County * Berea, a tributary of the Va ...
* Bratchers Crossroads *
Campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed * Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * B ...
*
Daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunligh ...
* Irving College * Midway * Rock Island *
Shady Rest Shady Rest is a natural area on the Sangamon River west of White Heath, Illinois. The landscape includes a river, moraine, a forest with under-story herbs and wildlife, a rail-trail that moves through the site, and cultural history spots. The ...
* Smartt *
Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring creek may additionally be ...
* Stewart Chapel


Politics

Warren County was a Democratic stronghold for most of the 20th century. The last Democrat to win Warren County was Al Gore in 2000. After the 2000 election, Warren County began to trend Republican, with each passing election having an increasing margin for the Republican candidate. Donald Trump won Warren county in 2016 by 42%, compared to Mitt Romney's margin of 25% in 2012.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Warren County, Tennessee __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Warren County, Tennessee. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Warren County, Tenn ...


References


External links


Warren County
Government
Warren County
Chamber of Commerce

Historical Markers
Warren County
TNGenWeb * {{authority control 1807 establishments in Tennessee Populated places established in 1807 Counties of Appalachia Middle Tennessee