Charleston, Tennessee
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Charleston is a city in
Bradley County, Tennessee Bradley County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 108,620, making it the thirteenth most populous county i ...
, United States. The population was 664 at the 2020 census. It is included in the
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.


History

The land now occupied by Charleston and Bradley County was home to the
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
long before European settlers arrived. What is now Charleston began around 1808 when Major John Walker Sr., a part-Cherokee grandson of Nancy Ward, established a ferry across the Hiwassee River between present-day Charleston and Calhoun. As a result, the community was initially known as "Walker's Ferry." The Hiwassee Purchase of 1819 resulted in the cession of Cherokee lands between the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee rivers to the Federal Government, and as a result, the Hiwassee River became the boundary between the
Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...
and the United States, where it remained until the Cherokee removal in 1838. In 1821, the Cherokee Agency— the official liaison between the U.S. government and the Cherokee Nation— was moved to the location of present-day Charleston. The agent to the Cherokees was first Colonel Return J. Meigs Sr., who had served 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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, and later
Joseph McMinn Joseph McMinn (June 22, 1758 – October 17, 1824) was an American politician who served as the fourth Governor of Tennessee from 1815 to 1821. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, he had previously served in the leg ...
, who served as
Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...
from 1815 to 1821. Lewis Ross, the brother of Chief John Ross, constructed a home nearby in 1820, and established a trading post and store in the city the following year. Between 1832 and the Cherokee removal in 1838, the Red Clay Council Grounds in southern Bradley County, now a state park by the same name, served as the final eastern capitol of the Cherokee Nation. In the 1820s and 1830s, many white settlers began to move into the area anticipating a future forced removal of the Cherokee by the Federal Government. At times, these settlers came into conflict with the Cherokee, who resisted settlers who tried to take over their territory."
Goodspeed's History of Bradley County, Tennessee
, published in 1887. Transcribed for web content and maintained by TNGenWeb – Bradley County. Retrieved: December 30, 2007.
After the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, Fort Cass was constructed in Charleston as the headquarters of the Cherokee removal, which was initiated by the Treaty of New Echota in December 1835. During the summer of 1838, thousands of Cherokees from various locations were held in internment camps at the fort under the supervision of federal troops before starting their journey westward, which became known as the Trail of Tears. Several other internment camps were located in the valleys between Charleston and present-day
Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of, and largest city in, Bradley County, Tennessee. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradle ...
over a distance of , including one at nearby Rattlesnake Springs. During the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...
the Henegar House, the oldest remaining brick structure in Bradley County, was used as headquarters by both Union and Confederate generals including William T. Sherman,
Oliver O. Howard Oliver Otis Howard (November 8, 1830 – October 26, 1909) was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army, Union General officer, general in the American Civil War, Civil War. As a brigade commander in the Army of the Potomac, Howard ...
, Marcus J. Wright, and Samuel Bolivar Buckner. The Charleston Cumberland Presbyterian Church building was used as a hospital by Confederate Forces in 1863. The railroad bridge over the Hiwassee River in Charleston was destroyed as part of the East Tennessee bridge burnings in November 1861. Charleston was incorporated on November 11, 1956. Several areas in and around Charleston were used as the primary filming locations for the 1960
Elia Kazan Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...
film '' Wild River''. The city's business district served as the fictional Garthville in the film. Charleston was the first city in Tennessee to elect a black mayor and the first city to appoint a black police chief.


Geography

Charleston is situated along the south bank of the Hiwassee River, which flows down out of the
Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
several miles to the east and empties into the Chickamauga Lake impoundment of the
Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...
several miles to the west. The river forms the boundary between Bradley County and McMinn County. Calhoun, Charleston's sister city, is situated on the north bank of the Hiwassee, on the McMinn County side. Charleston is traversed by U.S. Route 11, which enters the city from Calhoun to the north and exits the city en route to Cleveland to the south. Interstate 75, which roughly parallels U.S. 11 in the area, runs about west of Charleston, and is connected to the city by State Route 308. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which , or 5.77%, is water.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Charleston has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 664 people, 307 households, and 199 families residing in the city.


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 651 people, 253 households, and 166 families residing in the city. The population density was 651 people per square mile. The housing unit density was 253 units per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 77.27%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 19.82%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.15% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 1.69% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.15% of the population. Of the 253 households, 30.04% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.83% were married couples living together, 11.46% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.32% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.39% were non-families. 30.43% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.86% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.23. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.27% under the age of 18, 60.37% ages 18 to 64, and 13.36% age 65 and older. The median age was 38.6 years. 50.54% of the population were females, and 49.46% were males. The median household income was $34,805, and the median family income was $48,333. Males had a median income of $32,188, versus $30,750 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $20,587. About 8.0% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 26.4% of those age 65 and over.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 630 people, 265 households, and 182 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 280 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 72.54%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 23.49%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.48% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 2.70% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population. There were 265 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $40,781. Males had a median income of $31,389 versus $18,333 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $18,586. About 5.7% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

The city is across the Hiwassee River from a large
paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...
operation of Resolute Forest Products in Calhoun, which is a major local employer. Logging trucks and rail traffic to and from this plant frequently traverse Charleston. Charleston is the postal
address An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used to give the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using border, political boundaries and street names as references, ...
of the international headquarters of the
Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...
The Church of God, commonly called "The Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee)" to distinguish it from other similarly named denominations. However, the denomination's headquarters are actually located in Cleveland. Olin Chemical and Lonza, both located on Old Lower River Road in Charleston, make pool chemicals as well as several other products. They employ several hundred people. GE Lighting (DHL Supply Chain) broke ground right off the interstate in 2007 and employs several hundreds of people, distributing
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...
light bulbs. An
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
Fulfillment Center, located off the interstate in Charleston, employs several hundred people. Germany-based chemical company Wacker Chemie broke ground in 2011 on a new solar-grade polysilicon production facility (550-acre Greenfield site). At a cost of $2 billion, 650 new jobs were generated.


Arts and culture

The International Cowpea Festival and Cook-off, commonly referred to as the Cowpea Festival, takes place in Charleston each year of the second Saturday in September. The Hiwassee River Heritage Center in Charleston, opened in 2013, showcases the history of the Cherokee Nation and Removal in the area. The center was expanded in 2019 to include a portion of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.


References


Bibliography

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External links


Municipal Technical Advisory Service entry for Charleston
— information on local government, elections, and link to charter * {{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Bradley County, Tennessee Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee Populated places on the Hiwassee River