Adams, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adams, Tennessee
City
The old Bell School building, now city hall
Location of Adams in Robertson County, Tennessee.
Adams, Tennessee Location in Tennessee Show map of Tennessee Adams, Tennessee Location in the United States Show map of the United States Adams, Tennessee Location in North America Show map of North America
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Robertson
Incorporated	1963
Area
• Total	2.39 sq mi (6.19 km2)
• Land	2.39 sq mi (6.19 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	548 ft (167 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	624
• Density	260.98/sq mi (100.78/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	37010
Area code(s)	615
FIPS code	47-00200
GNIS feature ID	1304763

Adams is a small city in Robertson County, Tennessee, United States. It is located very close to the Kentucky state line. In 2020, about 624 people lived there. Adams is known for its interesting history and a famous local legend.

History of Adams

Early Settlers and Churches

Adams, Tennessee, has a long history. The first people settled here in the late 1700s. An important church, the Red River Baptist Church, was built by the Red River in 1791. It was one of the first churches in this part of Tennessee. Later, in 1898, the church moved to its current spot on Church Street.

How Adams Grew

Adams began to grow in the late 1850s. It became a stop on a railroad line. Many of the city's early buildings were destroyed during the American Civil War. The city was first named Red River in 1869.

It was later renamed Adams Station to honor James Reuben Adams. He owned a lot of the land where the city was built. The name was shortened to "Adams" in 1898. By the late 1880s, Adams had stores, a flour mill, two churches, and a school.

The city changed its official status a few times. It stopped being an official city in 1899. But it became a city again in 1908 and then officially in 1963.

Roads and Changes

In the 1920s, many cars started coming through Adams. This was because it was on U.S. Route 41. This road was a main route connecting places like Chicago to Florida.

However, Adams started to become less busy in the mid-1900s. Passenger trains stopped running, and new highways like Interstate 24 and Interstate 65 were built. These new roads took much of the car traffic away from US 41.

The Bell Witch Legend

A sign in Adams about the famous Bell Witch story.

Adams is famous for a spooky story called the Bell Witch haunting. People say the Bell Witch started causing strange things to happen between 1817 and 1820. This happened on a farm owned by a man named John Bell.

Today, you can find a memorial to the Bell family at Bellwood Cemetery. The city's main offices are now in the old Bell School building. This school was built in 1920 and named after one of John Bell's family members. A log cabin built by John Bell around 1810 has also been moved to a spot near the Bell School.

Geography of Adams

Adams is located in the northwest part of Robertson County. It sits where two main roads meet: U.S. Route 41 and State Route 76. US 41 connects Adams to Springfield to the southeast and Guthrie, Kentucky, to the northwest. State Route 76 connects Adams to Clarksville to the southwest.

The city's edges reach northward and westward to the Red River. This river flows into the Cumberland River. The United States Census Bureau says that Adams covers an area of about 2.5 square miles (6.19 square kilometers), and all of it is land.

Population Information

Historical Population

Population in 2020

The 2020 United States census counted 624 people living in Adams. There were 210 households and 138 families in the city.

The table below shows the different groups of people living in Adams in 2020:

See also

In Spanish: Adams (Tennessee) para niños