Rosemark is an unincorporated residential and farm community located along

Tennessee State Route 14 State Route 14 (SR 14) is a south–north route from the Mississippi border in Memphis, Tennessee to an intersection with State Route 54 in Tipton County. Route description Shelby County SR 14 begins concurrent to US 61 at the Missi ...

in northeastern Shelby 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. It had a population of 2,315 people in 2010.Rosemark is not a named census unit for the 2010 census, but for the 2000 census it was a

census county division A Census County Division (CCD) is a country subdivision, subdivision of a county (United States), county used by the United States Census Bureau for the purpose of presenting data, statistical data. A CCD is a relatively permanent statistical area ...

(CCD) with a population of 2,261, pe
0600000US4715792856 U.S. Census Bureau
An area of approximately in Rosemark was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2013 as the Rosemark Historic District.

History

Originally known as Richland, a name that probably referred to the fertility of the soil, the Rosemark area was settled as early as the 1830s. The main economic activity in the area was

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

farming. Years later, the community name was changed from Richland to Rosemark after residents learned that another Tennessee community was named Richland, but the Richland name is still used by several community institutions in Rosemark. For most of its history, Rosemark was an agricultural crossroads community, with a

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...

and community facilities. The community's first school, Richland School, opened in 1861. Much growth, including the formation of churches and the establishment of stores and the cotton gin, occurred during the decades following 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 ...

. A

Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

was formed in 1892. In 1912, a

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

telephone company A telecommunications company is a kind of electronic communications service provider, more precisely a telecommunications service provider (TSP), that provides telecommunications services such as telephony and data communications access. Many t ...

was formed and a

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

was chartered. Other active businesses in Rosemark in the early decades of the 20th century included a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop and a beauty parlor. A doctor set up a medical office in the community in 1896 and maintained his practice there until 1946. As of the early 21st century, Rosemark is part of

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

an Memphis, but retains the characteristics of an intact rural community. Some historical information on the area is included in the book ''Illustrated History of the People and Towns of Northeast Shelby County and South Central Tipton County - Salem, Portersville, Idaville, Kerrville, Armourtown, Bethel, Tipton, Mudville, Macedonia, Gratitude, Barretville, and Rosemark, Tennessee'' published by the Historic Archives of Rosemark and Environs, Inc. The book contains transcriptions and summaries of oral history interviews, family archival material, and historic maps. The National Register

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

includes 72 contributing properties. Among these are the cotton gin and lint house, schools, a bank, a Masonic lodge building, two churches, stores, and 24 residences. The oldest building in the district dates from about 1890; most of the other contributing buildings were completed before 1920. The

bungalow A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is typically single or one and a half storey, if a smaller upper storey exists it is frequently set in the roof and Roof window, windows that come out from the roof, and may be surrounded by wide ve ...

is the most common architectural style.

Geography

Rosemark is centered at Rosemark Road and Kerrville-Rosemark Road, the location of several old community institutions including the Rosemark ARP Church, the Rosemark Pentecostal Church, and Tipton-Rosemark Academy (formerly Rosemark School). State Route 14 (Austin Peay Highway) and State Route 205 (Millington-Arlington Road) also pass through the community.

Notable people

Bobby Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was describ ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

artist, was born in Barretville (a community adjacent to Rosemark), and grew up in both areas.

References

Esernal links

\ {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Shelby County, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee