Clarksville, Tennessee
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Clarksville is a city in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 2020 census, making it the fifth-most populous city in Tennessee. It is the principal city of the
Clarksville metropolitan area The Clarksville Metropolitan Statistical Area is defined by the United States Census Bureau as an area consisting of four counties – two ( Montgomery and Stewart) in Tennessee and two (Christian and Trigg) in Kentucky – anchored by the city ...
, which consists of Montgomery and Stewart counties in Tennessee and
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
and Trigg counties in Kentucky. The city was founded in 1785 and incorporated in 1807, and named for
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American military officer and surveyor from Virginia who became the highest-ranking Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot military officer on the American frontier, nort ...
, frontier fighter and Revolutionary War hero, and brother of William Clark of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...
. Clarksville is the home of
Austin Peay State University Austin Peay State University (APSU) () is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 ...
; ''
The Leaf-Chronicle ''The Leaf-Chronicle'' is a newspaper in the state of Tennessee, founded, officially, in 1808. First appearing as a weekly newspaper under various names as early as 1808 and eventually as the ''Clarksville Chronicle'', the current name is the r ...
'', the oldest newspaper in Tennessee; and neighbor to the
Fort Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Div ...
,
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
post. The site of the
101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division (military), division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault military operation, operations. The 101st is designed to plan, coordinat ...
(Air Assault), Fort Campbell is located about from downtown Clarksville and straddles the Tennessee-Kentucky state line.


History


Colonization

The area around Clarksville was first surveyed by Thomas Hutchins in 1768. He identified Red Paint Hill, a rock bluff at the confluence of the
Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...
and Red Rivers, as a navigational landmark. In the years between 1771 and 1775, John Montgomery, the namesake of the county, along with Kasper Mansker, visited the area while on a hunting expedition. In 1771, James Robertson led a group of 12 or 13 families involved with the Regulator movement from near where present-day
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
now stands. In 1772, Robertson and the pioneers who had settled in northeast Tennessee (along the Watauga River, the Doe River, the
Holston River The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee ...
, and the
Nolichucky River The Nolichucky River is a river that flows through western North Carolina and East Tennessee in the southeastern United States. Traversing the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the river's wate ...
) met at Sycamore Shoals to establish an independent regional government known as the Watauga Association. In 1772, surveyors placed the land officially within the domain of the Cherokee tribe, who required negotiation of a lease with the settlers. As the lease was being celebrated, a
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 ...
warrior was murdered by a white man. Through diplomacy, Robertson made peace with the Cherokee, who had threatened to expel the settlers by force. In March 1775, land speculator and North Carolina judge Richard Henderson met with more than 1,200 Cherokees at Sycamore Shoals, including Cherokee leaders such as Attakullakulla, Oconostota, and Dragging Canoe. In the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals (also known as the Treaty of Watauga), Henderson purchased all the land lying between the Cumberland River, the
Cumberland Mountains The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in western Virginia, southwestern West Virginia, the eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the ...
, and the
Kentucky River The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River in Kentucky, United States. The river and its tributaries drain much of eastern and central Kentucky, passing through the Eastern Coalfield, the Cumberland Mountains, and the Bluegrass re ...
, and situated south of the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
in what is known as the Transylvania Purchase from the Cherokee Indians. The land thus delineated, , encompassed an area half as large as the present state of Kentucky. Henderson's purchase was in violation of North Carolina and Virginia law, as well as the
Royal Proclamation of 1763 The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by British King George III on 7 October 1763. It followed the Treaty of Paris (1763), which formally ended the Seven Years' War and transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain. The ...
, which prohibited private purchase of American Indian land. Henderson may have mistakenly believed that a newer British legal opinion had made such land purchases legal. All of present-day Tennessee was once recognized as Washington County, North Carolina. Created in 1777 from the western areas of Burke and Wilkes Counties, Washington County had as a precursor a Washington District of 1775–76, which was the first political entity named for the Commander-in-Chief of American forces in the Revolution.


Founding

In 1779, Hadley W. and Hannah W. brought a group of settlers from upper
East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...
via
Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...
's
Wilderness Road The Wilderness Road was one of two principal routes used by colonial and early national era settlers to reach Kentucky from the East. Although this road goes through the Cumberland Gap into southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee, the other ...
. Hadley and Hannah later built an iron plantation in Cumberland Furnace. A year later,
John Donelson John Donelson (1718–1785) was an American frontiersman, ironmaster, politician, city planner, and explorer. After founding and operating what became Washington Iron Furnace in Franklin County, Virginia for several years, he moved with his famil ...
led a group of flat boats up the Cumberland River bound for the French trading settlement, French Lick (or Big Lick), that later became
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. When the boats reached Red Paint Hill, Moses Renfroe, Joseph Renfroe, and Solomon Turpin, along with their families, branched off onto the Red River. They traveled to the mouth of Parson's Creek, near Port Royal, and went ashore to settle down. Clarksville was designated as a town to be settled in part by soldiers from the disbanded Continental Army that served under General
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
during 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 ...
. At the end of the war, the federal government lacked sufficient funds to repay the soldiers, so the Legislature of North Carolina, in 1790, designated the lands to the west of the state line as federal lands that could be used in the land grant program. Since the area of Clarksville had been surveyed and sectioned into plots, it was identified as a territory deemed ready for settlement. The land was available to be settled by the families of eligible soldiers as repayment of service to their country. On January 16, 1784, John Armstrong filed notice with the
Legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...
of
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
to create the town of Clarksville, named after General
George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American military officer and surveyor from Virginia who became the highest-ranking Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot military officer on the American frontier, nort ...
. Even before it was officially designated a town, lots had been sold. In October 1785, Col. Robert Weakley laid off the town of Clarksville for Martin Armstrong and Col. Montgomery, and Weakley had the choice of lots for his services. He selected Lot #20 at the northeast corner of Spring and Main Streets. The town consisted of 20 'squares' of 140 lots and 44 out lots. The original Court House was on Lot #93, on the north side of Franklin Street between Front and Second Street. The Public Spring was on Lot #74, on the northeast corner of Spring and Commerce Streets. Weakley built the first cabin there in January 1786, and about February or March, Col. Montgomery came there and had a cabin built, which was the second house in Clarksville. After an official survey by James Sanders, Clarksville was founded by the
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
Legislature on December 29, 1785. It was the second town to be founded in the area. Armstrong's layout for the town consisted of 12 four-acre (16,000 m2) squares built on the hill overlooking the Cumberland as to protect against floods. The primary streets (from north to south) that went east–west were named Jefferson, Washington (now College Street), Franklin, Main, and Commerce Streets. North–south streets (from the river eastward) were named Water (now Riverside Drive), Spring, First, Second, and Third Streets. The
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
trade in the area was growing larger every year and in 1789, Montgomery and Martin Armstrong persuaded lawmakers to designate Clarksville as an inspection point for tobacco. When
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
was founded as a state on June 1, 1796, the area around Clarksville and to the east was named Tennessee County. (This county was established in 1788, by North Carolina.) Later, Tennessee County was broken up into modern day Montgomery and Robertson counties, named to honor the men who first opened up the region for settlement.


19th century

Clarksville grew at a rapid pace. By 1806, the town realized the need for an educational institution, and it established the Rural Academy that year. It was later replaced by the Mount Pleasant Academy. By 1819, the newly established town had 22 stores, including a bakery and silversmith. In 1820,
steamboats A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
begin to navigate the Cumberland, bringing hardware, coffee, sugar, fabric, and glass. The city exported flour, tobacco, cotton, and corn to ports such as
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
and
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
along the Ohio and
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
rivers. In 1829, the first bridge connecting Clarksville to
New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246 ...
was built over the Red River. Nine years later, the Clarksville-
Hopkinsville Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 31,180. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 ...
Turnpike was built. Railroad service came to the town on October 1, 1859, in the form of the Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad. The line later connected to other railroads at Paris, Tennessee and at Guthrie, Kentucky. By the start of 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 combined population of the city and the county was 20,000. Planters in the area depended on enslaved African Americans as workers in the labor-intensive
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
industry, one of the major commodity crops. In 1861, both Clarksville and Montgomery counties voted unanimously for the state to secede and join the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...
. The birthplace of Confederate President
Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...
was about 20 miles across the border in Fairview,
Christian County, Kentucky Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,748. Its county seat is Hopkinsville. The county was formed in 1797. Christian County is part of the Clarksville, Tennessee–Ke ...
. Both sides considered Clarksville to be of strategic importance. Confederate General
Albert Sidney Johnston General officer, General Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) was an American military officer who served as a general officer in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States ...
set up a defense line around Clarksville expecting a land attack. The city was home to three
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...
camps: * Camp Boone located on U.S. Highway 79 Guthrie Road/( Wilma Rudolph Boulevard), * Camp Burnet * Fort Defiance, Tennessee, a Civil War outpost that overlooks 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 ...
and Red River, and was occupied by both Confederate and Union soldiers. In 2012 the City of Clarksville, Tennessee completed construction of an interpretive/ museum center here to chronicle the local chapter in the Civil War. The Union sent troops and gunboats down the Cumberland River, and in 1862 captured Fort Donelson, and Fort Henry. On February 17, 1862, the '' USS Cairo'', along with another Union
ironclad An ironclad was a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by iron armour, steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or ince ...
, came to Clarksville and its troops captured the city. There were no Confederate soldiers to contend with because they had left prior to the arrival of the ships. White flags flew over Ft. Defiance and over Ft. Clark. Those town citizens who could get away, left as well. Before leaving, Confederate soldiers tried to burn the railroad bridge that crossed the Cumberland River, so that the Union could not use it. But the fire did not take hold and was put out before it could destroy the bridge. This railroad bridge made Clarksville very important to the Union. The ''USS Cairo'' tied up in Clarksville for a couple of days before moving to participate in the capture of
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. Between 1862 and 1865, the city shifted hands, but the Union retained control. It also controlled the city's newspaper, ''The Leaf Chronicle'', for three years. Many slaves who had been freed or escaped gathered in Clarksville and joined the Union Army lines. The army set up contraband camps in mid-Tennessee cities, to provide shelter for the freedmen families. Other freed slaves lived along the side of the river in shanties. In 1865, the Ogburn Chapel Missionary Baptist Church was founded. The Army enlisted freedmen in all-black
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...
s, in some cases putting them to work in building defenses. The 16th United States Colored Infantry regiment was mustered in at Clarksville in 1863.


Reconstruction

After the war, the city began
Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
, and in 1872, the existing railroad was purchased by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. The city was flourishing until the Great Fire of 1878, which destroyed 15 acres (60,000 m2) of downtown Clarksville's business district, including the courthouse and many other historic buildings. It was believed to have started in a Franklin Street store. After the fire, the city rebuilt. The first
automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
rolled into town, drawing much excitement.


20th century

In 1913, the Lillian Theater was opened on Franklin Street and owned by Joseph Goldberg. In 1914, it was severely damaged in a fire, but reopened later in 1915. It was later renamed the Roxy after renovations in 1941. As
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
raged in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, many locals volunteered to go, reaffirming Tennessee as the Volunteer State, a nickname earned during the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
and other earlier conflicts. Also during this time, women's suffrage was becoming a major issue. Clarksville women saw a need for banking independent of their husbands and fathers who were fighting. In response, the First Women's Bank of Tennessee was established in 1919 by Mrs. Frank J. Runyon. The 1920s brought additional growth to the city. A bus line between Clarksville and
Hopkinsville Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2020 census was 31,180. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 ...
was established in 1922. In 1927 the Austin Peay Normal School was founded, later to develop as
Austin Peay State University Austin Peay State University (APSU) () is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 ...
. In 1928 two more theaters were added, the Majestic (with 600 seats) and the Capitol (with 900 seats). John Outlaw, a local aviator, established Outlaw Field in 1929. With the entry of the United States into World War II, defense investments were made in the area. In 1942 construction started on Camp Campbell (now known as
Fort Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Div ...
), the new army base northwest of the city. It was capable of holding 23,000 troops, and as staffing built up, the base gave a huge boost to the population and economy of Clarksville. In 1954, the Clarksville Memorial Hospital was founded along Madison Street. Downtown, the Lillian was renamed the Roxy Theater, and today it still hosts plays and performances weekly. The Roxy has been used as a backdrop for numerous
photo shoots A photo shoot is the process taken by creatives and models that results in a visual objective being obtained. An example is a model posing for a photographer at a studio or an outdoor location. A photo shoot is a series of images that are taken, ...
,
films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...
,
documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...
,
music videos A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
and
television commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
; most notably for
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
's Grammy Award-winning song " All I Wanna Do." Since 1980, the population of Clarksville has more than doubled. This increase was due in part to annexation, as the city acquired communities such as
New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. On the eastern side of the island is the national capital, national capital city of Nassau, Bahamas, Nassau; it had a population of 246 ...
and Saint Bethlehem. The construction of
Interstate 24 Interstate 24 (I-24) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from I-57, south of Marion, Illinois, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at I-75. It travels through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennesse ...
north of Saint Bethlehem added to its development potential and in the early 21st century, much of the growth along U.S. Highway 79 is commercial retail. Clarksville is currently one of the fastest-growing large cities in Tennessee. At its present rate of growth, the city was expected to displace Chattanooga by 2020 as the fourth-largest city in Tennessee.


Natural disasters

*In January 1999, the downtown area of Clarksville was devastated by an F3
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
. *Clarksville was damaged in the May 2010 Tennessee floods. *In February 2018, the east side of Clarksville was struck by an EF-2 tornado. *In December 2023, North Clarksville was struck by an EF-3 tornado that resulted in four fatalities and left multiple homes and businesses damaged or destroyed and over 20,000 people without power. *In early May 2024, the city of Clarksville was affected by a severe weather and tornado outbreak, which resulted in some instances of flash-flooding and golf-ball sized hail. An EF-1 tornado touched down just east of Clarksville and did minor damage to nearby Springfield, TN.


Geography

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 is land and (0.71%) is covered by water. Clarksville is located on the northwest edge of the
Highland Rim The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee, North Alabama, and Kentucky which surrounds the Central Basin. The Central Basin is a geological dome which has subsequently fractured and eroded to produce a basin. The Highland R ...
, which surrounds the
Nashville Basin The Nashville Basin, also known as the Central Basin, is a term often used to describe the area surrounding Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in which Nashville is located. The Central Basin was caused by an uplifting which produced a dome known as the ...
, and is northwest of
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. Fort Campbell North is a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in Christian County, Kentucky. It contains most of the housing for the Fort Campbell Army base. The population was 14,338 at the 2000 census. Fort Campbell North is part of the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area.


Climate

The climate is humid subtropical (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Cfa'') with hot summers and cold winters but interspersed with milder times due to its location between the warmer climates of the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
and the colder ones of the
Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
. Freezing temperatures are not uncommon but usually the averages are above zero in January (around 2 °C) and in July can often pass through 25 °C. Snow in winter is common, but large accumulated amounts are more sporadic; usually the soil is covered by a thin layer during some time of winter. Precipitation is abundant year-round without any major difference, but May tends to have the highest cumulative amount of 142 mm in the form of rain. The wet season runs from February through July, while the dry season runs from August through January with a September nadir of 85 mm and secondary December peak of 125 mm.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 166,722 people, 58,985 households, and 39,595 families residing in the city.


Economy

Notable industrial employers in Clarksville include: *
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 ...
, Distribution Center * American Standard *
Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (18891976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of (), meaning ...
Metalpha USA * Convergys Corporation *
FedEx FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company specializing in Package delivery, transportation, e-commerce, and ...
, Distribution Center *
Fort Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Div ...
*
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
* Hankook * Jostens, printing and publishing division * LG *
SPX Corporation SPX Corporation is an American manufacturing company, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company operates within four markets: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), detection and measurement, power transmission and gen ...
, metal forge division * Trane, Clarksville's largest private employer


Arts and culture


Points of interest

* Roxy Theatre, located in downtown Clarksville * F&M Bank Arena, Home of Austin Peay Men's and Women's Basketball * Governor's Square Mall * Clarksville City Arboretum * Ringgold Mill, located in North Clarksville * Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, located in downtown Clarksville, second largest general museum in Tennessee * L & N Train Station, restored downtown train station * Wilma Rudolph, statue honoring one of America's most outstanding Olympic athletes * Dunbar Cave * Fortera Stadium, home of Austin Peay Football *
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 ...
* Liberty Park and Marina * Fort Defiance, Civil War fort overlooking the Cumberland River


Sports

Clarksville was home to several
Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
teams that played in the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League during the first half of the 20th century. They were called the Clarksville Villagers (1903), Grays (1904),
Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...
(1910 and 1916), Billies (1911), Rebels (1912), Boosters (1913–1914),
Owls Owls are birds from the Order (biology), order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly Solitary animal, solitary and Nocturnal animal, nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vis ...
(1916), and Colts (1947–1949). It also hosted a team of the independent Big South League and Heartland League from 1996 to 1997 called the Clarksville Coyotes.


Government

In 1907, Clarksville was among several cities in Tennessee that gained legislative approval to adopt a board of commission form of government, with commissioners elected by
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
voting. Its population was 9,000. Other cities adopting a board of commission were
Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
and
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
in 1911, Nashville in 1913, and
Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...
in 1915. The result of this change favored the election of candidates favored by the majority in each city. It closed out minorities from being able to elect candidates of their choice to represent them in local government.''BUCHANAN v. CITY OF JACKSON'', 683 F. Supp. 1515 (W.D. Tenn. 1988)
Case Text website.
Clarksville changed its government system, and in the 21st century, has a 12-member city council elected from
single-member district A single-member district or constituency is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. In some countries, such as Australia and India ...
s, which has increased the range of representation. In 2015, four of the members were African American, and eight were white. The mayor is elected at large. Mayor Joe Pitts was first elected in 2018, when he defeated former Mayor Kim McMillan who was the first woman mayor of any Tennessee city with more than 100,000 population. * James E. Elder, circa 1820 * ? * George Smith, circa 1860 * A. Howell, 1882-1886 * G.A. Ligon, circa 1890 * Thomas H. Smith, 1891 * N.L. Carney, 1892 * W.B. Young, circa 1902 * W.D. "Pete" Hudson, 1928-1938 * William Kleeman, circa 1945, 1953, 1955–1956 * Paul M. McGregor, circa 1954, 1957 * W. W. Barksdale, circa 1960 * Charles Crow, circa 1963 * Ted Crozier, circa 1970s, 1983, 1985 * Don Trotter, 1987–1999, 2003-2007 * Johnny Piper, 1999–2002, 2007-2010 * Kim McMillan, 2011–2018 * Joe Pitts, 2019–Present


Education


Colleges and universities

*
Austin Peay State University Austin Peay State University (APSU) () is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 ...
* Daymar Institute *
Nashville State Community College Nashville State Community College is a Public college, public community college in Nashville, Tennessee. It is operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents and shares a campus with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Nashville. The Nas ...
* North Tennessee Bible Institute


Public K-12 schools

The city consolidated its school system with that of the county, forming the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. It operates a total of 39 public schools to serve about 37,666 students, including eight high schools, seven middle schools, 24 elementary schools, and one magnet school for K–5, in addition to Middle College on the campus of
Austin Peay State University Austin Peay State University (APSU) () is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 ...
. Public high schools (grades 9–12) in Clarksville-Montgomery County: * Clarksville High School (1,562 students) * Kenwood High School (1,302 students) * Kirkwood High School (1,009 students) * Montgomery Central High School (1,015 students) * Northeast High School (1,341 students) * Northwest High School (1,426 students) * Rossview High School (1,584 students) * West Creek High School (1,647 students) Most of the city is in the Clarksville-Montgomery system. Portions in Fort Campbell are instead use the
Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...
(DoDEA) as their school district.


Private K-12 schools

Private schools in Clarksville-Montgomery County include: *
Clarksville Academy Clarksville Academy is a private college-preparatory school in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States, offering pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The school has several sports teams with a cougar as their mascot and school colors being royal bl ...
(students: 613; ST; grades: PK–12) * Clarksville Christian School (students: 580; grades: PK–12) * Immaculate Conception School (students: 146; grades: K–8) * Little Scholars Montessori (students: 91; grades: Preschool–5)


Infrastructure


Major roads and highways

* U.S. Route 41A (Madison Street and Fort Campbell Boulevard) * U.S. Route 79 ( Wilma Rudolph Boulevard) *
Interstate 24 Interstate 24 (I-24) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from I-57, south of Marion, Illinois, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at I-75. It travels through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennesse ...
(designated a
control city A control city is a city, locality, or other location posted on a series of traffic signs along a particular stretch of road indicating destinations on that route. Together with route numbers and cardinal directions, these focal points aid the mo ...
along route) * State Route 12 ( Ashland City Road) * State Route 13 * State Route 48 * State Route 76 (
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
Parkway) * State Route 374 (Warfield Blvd., 101st Airborne Division Parkway, Purple Heart Parkway)


Air

Clarksville is served commercially by
Nashville International Airport Nashville International Airport is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1937, its original name was Berry Field, from which its ICAO and IATA identi ...
but also has a small airport, Outlaw Field, located north of downtown. Outlaw Field accommodates an average of slightly over 32,000 private and corporate flight operations per year (average for 12-month period ending 2014), and is also home to a pilot training school and a few small aircraft companies. It has two asphalt runways, one and the other . Outlaw Field has received a $35,000 grant. A new terminal building was built in 2011–2012. Cobb Field was a small private airfield. It was west of the Dover Crossings area, just across the street from Liberty Elementary. It had one grass/sod runway that measured . This airfield was not open to the public and is no longer suitable for landing aircraft due to runway encroachment by nearby trees and brush, as well as fencing across the former runway. Cobb Field is no longer displayed on VFR sectional charts available from the FAA.


Transit

Clarksville Transit System has 10 bus routes, and the service operates Mondays-Saturdays.


Notable people

*
Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...
– country music star, associated with Grand Ole Opry and ''Hee Haw'' television series * James E. Bailey – U.S. Senator from Tennessee * David Bibb – acting administrator of General Services Administration (GSA) * Willie Blount – former governor of Tennessee (1809–1815) * Robert Burt – African-American surgeon * Philander Claxton – professor, Commissioner of U.S. Department of Education, APSU president * Nate Colbert – MLB player * Gretchen Cordy – reality TV personality, '' Survivor: Borneo'', local radio DJ * Riley Darnell – state senator and former Tennessee Secretary of State * Mark Day – NASCAR race car driver * Dorothy Dix – pen name of Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer, famous for newspaper advice column * Harry Galbreath – football player with Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, and New York Jets * Brock Gillespie – professional basketball player * Jeff Gooch – former football player with Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions *
Ernest William Goodpasture Ernest William Goodpasture (October 17, 1886 – September 20, 1960) was an American pathologist and physician. Goodpasture advanced the scientific understanding of the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, parasitism, and a variety of rickettsia ...
– pathologist and physician * Caroline Gordon – novelist and wife of
Allen Tate John Orley Allen Tate (November 19, 1899 – February 9, 1979), known professionally as Allen Tate, was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and poet laureate from 1943 to 1944. Among his best known works are the poems " Ode to th ...
* Clay Greenfield - NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series Driver *
William J. Hadden William James Hadden Jr. (June 2, 1921 – June 14, 1995) was a Protestant minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and a priest of the Episcopal Church (United States) He was also at different times both a military chaplain (both ...
Jr. - (1921–1995) Protestant minister, politician, television presenter * Ryne Harper – baseball player * Trenton Hassell – NBA player with Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets * Whit Haydn – magician, vice-president of Magic Castle * Roland Hayes – musician * Tommy Head – member of Tennessee House of Representatives *
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
– guitarist, singer and songwriter * Gustavus Adolphus Henry Sr. – "Eagle Orator of Tennessee" * Percy Howard – wide receiver for Dallas Cowboys * Douglas S. Jackson – member of Tennessee Senate * Cave Johnson – Congressman and U.S. Postmaster General under President
James K. Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and ...
* Howard Johnson – football player and U.S. Marine killed in Battle of Iwo Jima * Micah Johnson – Miami Dolphins linebacker * Dorothy Jordan – film actress * Joseph Buckner Killebrew – educator, lawyer, originator of liberal public school law * Scotty Kilmer - Car Mechanic and YouTube Personality * Nate Landwehr - UFC Fighter (Featherweight) * Jalen Reeves-Maybin – NFL linebacker Detroit Lions * Horace Lisenbee – MLB player, pitcher for Washington Senators * Ricky Lumpkin - NFL player for the Raiders, Cardinals, and Colts. Graduated from Kenwood High School * Horace Harmon Lurton – Justice of U.S. Supreme Court * John Hartwell Marable – member of U.S. House of Representatives * Shawn Marion – Olympic and professional basketball player * Isaac Murphy – first Reconstruction-era governor of Arkansas * Robert Loftin Newman – oil painter * Mary C. Noble – judge of Kentucky Supreme Court * Norris W. Overton – U.S. Air Force Brigadier General * Wayne Pace – CFO of Time Warner * Asahel Huntington Patch – also known as A. H. Patch, inventor of Blackhawk corn sheller * Austin Peay – Governor of Tennessee (1922–1927); namesake of Austin Peay State University * Thomas Minott Peters – lawyer and botanist * Chonda Pierce – Christian comedian and performer * Key Pittman – U.S. Senator from Nevada * Alex Poythress
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
& former University of Kentucky basketball player * DJ Pryor – stand-up comedian and actor * Jeff Purvis – NASCAR driver * James B. Reynolds – member of U.S. House of Representatives * Phil Roe – politician * Mason Rudolph – professional golfer * Wilma Rudolph – first female athlete to win three gold medals in single Olympic games * Brenda Vineyard Runyon – founder and director of First Woman's Bank of Tennessee (1919–1926) * Clarence Saunders – grocer, founder of Piggly Wiggly * Evelyn Scott – writer, poet, and novelist * Valentine Sevier – Revolutionary War soldier and brother of John Sevier (first governor of Tennessee) * George Sherrill – baseball player * Rachel Smith – Miss Tennessee USA and Miss USA (2007) *
Rick Stansbury Richard Lee Stansbury (born December 23, 1959), is an American college basketball coach who most recently was an assistant coach at the Memphis Tigers men's basketball, University of Memphis. He was the head coach at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers ...
– basketball coach * Travis Stephens – football player with Tampa Bay Buccaneers *
James Storm James Allen Cox (born June 1, 1977) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name James Storm. He currently competes on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He sta ...
– professional wrestler * William "Sammy" Stuard – chairman of Tennessee Bankers Association, CEO of F&M Bank *
Pat Summitt Patricia Susan Summitt (; June 14, 1952 – June 28, 2016) was an American women's college basketball head coach and college basketball player. As a coach, she acquired 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time ...
– University of Tennessee at Knoxville women's basketball coach, Hall of Famer * Frank Sutton – actor, played Sergeant Vince Carter in ''Gomer Pyle, USMC'' TV series *
Allen Tate John Orley Allen Tate (November 19, 1899 – February 9, 1979), known professionally as Allen Tate, was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and poet laureate from 1943 to 1944. Among his best known works are the poems " Ode to th ...
– poet * Sloan Thomas – wide receiver for Tennessee Titans * Mageina Tovah – actress * Jamie Walker – MLB relief pitcher *
Robert Penn Warren Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, literary critic and professor at Yale University. He was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern ...
– First United States Poet Laureate * Bubba Wells – APSU alumnus and NBA player *
William Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (26 March 1914 – 18 July 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably the commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army f ...
– military commander in Vietnam * Clarence Cameron White – musician * James "Fly" Williams – player in original American Basketball Association * Howie Wright – NBA player


In popular culture

* The
Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees'' television series, they were one o ...
1966 #1 song "
Last Train to Clarksville "Last Train to Clarksville" is a song by American rock band the Monkees. It was released as the band's debut single on August 16, 1966, and was later included on the group's self-titled album, which was released on October 10, 1966.''The Monkees ...
" is sometimes said to reference the city's train depot and a soldier from Fort Campbell during the Vietnam War era, but Clarksville was actually picked just for its
euphonious Phonaesthetics (also spelled phonesthetics in North America) is the study of the beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by during the mid-20th century ...
sound. * The music video for the 1986 song " Twenty Years Ago" by country singer
Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...
was filmed on Franklin Street in Clarksville, Tennessee. Home of Gary the Guardrail. Gary resides just off of exit 1, on Tylertown Rd, in front of O'Connor's. He has been taken out by many semi trucks over the years and balloons in honor of his demise are usually left on location. The video for Sheryl Crow's 1994 Grammy winning "All I wanna Do" was filmed in front of the Roxy Theater, on the corner of Franklin Street and North 1st Street. * The home of Rhonda The Roundabout, the famous traffic circle that is home to the Rhonda 500. A very popular race that tests the endurance of many notable drivers and is soon to be a state sanctioned event. Nicole Kidman's 2025 Thriller, Holland, was partially filmed in downtown Clarksville.


Nicknames

Clarksville's nicknames have included The Queen City, Queen of the Cumberland, and Gateway to the New South. In April 2008, the city adopted "Tennessee's Top Spot!" as its new brand nickname.


Sister city

Gunpo, Gyeonggi, South Korea


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Montgomery County, Tennessee Clarksville metropolitan area County seats in Tennessee Populated places established in 1785 1785 establishments in North Carolina Cities in Tennessee