Middleton, Tennessee
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Middleton is a city in Hardeman County,
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 ...
, United States. The population was 706 at the 2010 census, up from 602 at the 2000 census. It is located at the intersection of Tennessee State Route 125 and
Tennessee State Route 57 State Route 57 (SR 57) is an east–west highway that runs from Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis to the Mississippi state line near Pickwick Dam and Pickwick Landing State Park. Except for in Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County and western ...
. Its slogan is the "Crossroads of the South".


History

It is believed that early settlers in Middleton came from Slab Town, a small settlement about north. The town was originally called "Jenkins-McCommons Crossing", after Jesse Jenksins and William Taylor McCommons. These two men came to the area from
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 ...
in 1849 and donated the majority of land where Middleton is today. Following the expansion of the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River. Chartered in 1846, the gauge railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee, to Stevenson, Alabama ...
and the construction of a railroad depot, Middleton was chartered in 1850. It was named after an official at the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. The town suffered greatly 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 ...
. After the war, only one building, a small log structure that served as a store, was left standing.


Geography

Middleton is located in southeastern Hardeman County at (35.058798, -88.891728). Tennessee State Route 125 is the city's Main Street, leading north to Bolivar, the
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 ...
, and south to the
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 ...
border.
Walnut, Mississippi Walnut is a town in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 771 at the 2010 census. History Walnut was established in 1872 on land belonging to Henry Hopkins, an early settler. The town was initially known as "Hopkins," ...
, is south of Middleton.
Tennessee State Route 57 State Route 57 (SR 57) is an east–west highway that runs from Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis to the Mississippi state line near Pickwick Dam and Pickwick Landing State Park. Except for in Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County and western ...
(Tennessee Avenue) crosses Route 125 in the southern part of Middleton, leading east to
Ramer Ramer may refer to: Places in the United States *Ramer, Alabama, an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Alabama *Ramer, Tennessee, a city in McNairy County, Tennessee *Ramer Field, a stadium in River Falls, Wisconsin People * Alexis M ...
and west to Grand Junction. 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 ...
, Middleton has a total area of , of which , or 0.36%, are water. The city drains east to Cypress Creek, a north-flowing tributary of the
Hatchie River The Hatchie River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 3, 2011 river in northern Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee. It is of considerable geographic, culture, cu ...
.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 602 people, 259 households, and 171 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 289 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.87%
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 ...
, 11.30%
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 ...
, 0.66% Asian, and 0.17% 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 0.66% of the population. There were 259 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,385, and the median income for a family was $39,063. Males had a median income of $31,094 versus $21,250 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 $15,616. About 8.3% of families and 14.3% 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 22.4% of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Middleton is home to a rail-served commercial park. The town also has a major
natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
distribution facility and other industrial manufacturers that employee over 1,000.
ThyssenKrupp ThyssenKrupp AG (, ; stylized as thyssenkrupp) is a German industrial engineering and steel production multinational conglomerate. It resulted from the 1999 merger of Thyssen AG and Krupp and has its operational headquarters in Duisburg and E ...
(formerly
Dover Corporation Dover Corporation is an American conglomerate manufacturer of industrial products. The Downers Grove, Illinois-based company was founded in 1955. As of 2021, Dover's business was divided into five segments: Engineered Products, Clean Energy a ...
) has an
elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...
manufacturing plant in Middleton. Other industries include Middleton
Fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...
, F.L. Crane Inc. Spray Coating Division, a hardwood sales company, EP Minerals, LLC, makes of cat litter, and El Paso Tennessee Gas.


Arts and culture


Annual cultural events

Middleton hosts a series of annual events including the Fur, Fin and Feather Festival over
Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
, the "M-Town Variety Show" in March, and an annual Christmas parade and related holiday events each December.


Points of interest

The oldest structure in Middleton is the Rose House which was built by Benjamin Rose in 1833. The second oldest building is the Methodist Church and Adams Masonic Lodge #264 which was built in 1859. The City Hall is also the location of the local veterans memorial. The community has a library, a community center, two city parks and a "Boy Scout Hut" which serves as a meeting space for the local
Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
troop, which was founded in Middleton in 1938.


Government

Middleton is governed by a mayor and five aldermen, one of whom serves as vice mayor. They are elected every four years. The town's property taxes are .99 per $100 of assessed value.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Major thoroughfares *
Tennessee State Route 57 State Route 57 (SR 57) is an east–west highway that runs from Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis to the Mississippi state line near Pickwick Dam and Pickwick Landing State Park. Except for in Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County and western ...
(Tennessee Avenue) * Tennessee State Route 125 (Main Street) Railroad systems *
Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...


Utilities

Middleton provides residents water and sewer utilities. The community also has a recycling drop off.


Safety

The town has a full-time police chief and department. The community is also served by the Middleton Volunteer Fire Department. The current firehouse was built at no charge by inmates from the Hardeman County Correctional Facility. The fire department has a Class 5 fire insurance rating.


Health

Middleton has two medical clinics, a dental clinic and a nursing home.


Notable natives

Middleton has been the birthplace, home, or vacation town for a number of notable people. Bailey Howell,
Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
r was born and raised in Middleton until attending
Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...
. Howell was a
Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...
player, along with Steve Hamer, who was born in Memphis went to high school in Middleton before he attended the
University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
. Another athlete, Wayne Haddix, was born in nearby Bolivar but attended Middleton High School, he would go on to play for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
. Jim Stewart and
Estelle Axton Estelle Axton (''née'' Stewart; September 11, 1918 – February 24, 2004) was an American record executive and co-founder of Stax Records, along with her brother Jim Stewart. Biography Born in Middleton, Tennessee, Estelle Stewart grew up o ...
, the co-founders of
Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...
, were born in Middleton, before moving to Memphis.


References


External links


City of Middleton official website
{{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Hardeman County, Tennessee