Brownsville, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brownsville, Tennessee
City
Brownsville business district
Motto(s):  Heart of the Tennessee Delta
Location in Haywood County, Tennessee
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Haywood
Area
• Total	9.86 sq mi (25.54 km2)
• Land	9.86 sq mi (25.54 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	390 ft (119 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,788
• Density	992.80/sq mi (383.30/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38012
Area code(s)	731
FIPS code	47-08920
GNIS feature ID	1278634

Brownsville is a city in and the county seat of Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. Its population as of the 2020 census was 9,788. The city is named after General Jacob Jennings Brown, an American officer of the War of 1812.

History

Brownsville business district

Brownsville developed in association with cotton plantations and commodity agriculture in the Mid-South. It is located near the Hatchie River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, which originally served as the main transportation routes to markets for cotton. The town is notable for its many well-preserved antebellum homes owned by wealthy planters before the Civil War, and multi-generational family-owned farms.

The Tabernacle Campground was founded in 1826 by the Rev. Howell Taylor, soon after Brownsville was founded. In the 21st century, it serves as the site of an annual "camp-meeting" for descendants of Taylor.

Brownsville's synagogue, Temple Adas Israel, was built in 1882 by German Jewish immigrants, who founded the congregation in the 1860s. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is believed to be the oldest synagogue in Tennessee, and is a rare example of a synagogue built in the Gothic Revival style.

Through the late 19th century, whites worked to re-establish supremacy after Reconstruction and impose Jim Crow and second-class status on African Americans. Tennessee effectively disenfranchised most blacks in the state after the turn of the 20th century, excluding them from the political system. The state's congressional delegation and elected officials became predominately Democratic, except for Republicans elected by white residents in East Tennessee.

Haywood County still had a significant black majority in the late 1930s, but they had no way to exercise political power. In 1939 a number of blacks in Brownsville founded a local NAACP chapter and worked to assert their right to register and vote in the presidential election that year. In June 1940 threats were made against the group, and Elisha Davis was kidnapped by a large white mob. They demanded the names of NAACP members and their plans. He fled the town, followed by his family, losing his successful service station and all their property.

On June 20, 1940, Elbert Williams, secretary of the NAACP chapter, and Elisha's brother Thomas Davis were both questioned by police. Thomas was released, but Williams was never seen alive again. His body was found in the Hatchie River a few days later. He is considered to be the first NAACP member to have been lynched for civil rights activities. Several other members were run out of town, fearing for their lives. The NAACP conducted an investigation and appealed to the Department of Justice to prosecute Williams' murder, providing affidavits of witnesses. FBI agents were sent to the town in September to protect blacks wanting to register to vote, but they were fearful because there had been no prosecution of Williams' killers. NAACP sources said that no blacks registered to vote, as it reported in its magazine The Crisis in October 1940. Davis and his family resettled in Niles, Michigan.

In 2015 the Tennessee Historical Commission approved an official historical marker honoring Elbert Williams. It was dedicated in Brownsville on June 20, 2015, at a memorial service marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of Williams’ death. The featured speaker was NAACP President Cornell W. Brooks.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Brownsville has a total area of 9.1 square miles (24 km²), all land.

Brownsville is situated on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a high earthquake risk.

The Hatchie River runs through Brownsville. It is the longest free-flowing tributary of the lower Mississippi, and contains the largest forested floodplain in Tennessee. The river is home to hundreds of species of fish, including 11 species of catfish, and the alligator snapping turtle. The Hatchie River was named by the Nature Conservancy as one of the "great places" to save. The Hatchie is also designated as a "scenic river" under the Tennessee Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Brownsville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,788 people, 4,001 households, and 2,428 families residing in the city.

Education

Brownsville is currently served by the six schools within the Haywood County School system. They are: Anderson Early Childhood Center, comprising pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, Haywood Elementary School, comprising grades 1 and 2, East Side Elementary School, comprising grades 3 and 4, Sunny Hill Intermediate School, comprising grades 5 and 6, Haywood Middle School, comprising grades 7 and 8, and Haywood High School, comprising grades 9 through 12. The school system also operates the Haywood County Virtual Academy for students between kindergarten and eight grade, as well as the Students Options Academy, an alternative learning center. The Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jackson operates an extension branch in the city. Additionally, the University of Tennessee system operates an Institute of Agriculture extension in Brownsville in collaboration with an extension from Tennessee State University's College of Agriculture.

In the past, Brownsville was home to institutes of higher education. The Brownsville Female Seminary was founded in 1842 by Presbyterian settlers. The Brownsville Baptist Female College was established in 1850 by the Tennessee Baptist Convention and opened in 1851. This was the only one of 18 colleges within a 60 mile radius of Brownsville to survive the Civil War. There were a limited number of male graduates of this female college, but among them was future governor of Missouri Joseph Folk. Former president of Wake Forest College John Brown White served as president of the Brownsville Baptist Female College briefly until 1855. This college survived until 1897 and the campus remained empty until 1911 when it was purchased by the county to house Haywood High School until the opening of the current location in 1970. Organized in 1869, the Wesleyan Female College was formed, offering courses in languages, music, and other academic disciplines. Wesleyan survived until the 1890s when it was closed by its trustees and thereafter became the home of the Ogilvie Training School for Boys.

Brownsville also operated Dunbar School, established in the 1890s to serve the African American population. Dunbar School burned in the 1919 and was replaced by Haywood County Training School, later renamed George Washington Carver High School. Also in the late 19th century, Brownsville Public School was opened, operating as a grammar school and offering high school courses until the establishment of Haywood High School. This school building was destroyed by a fire in the late 1920s. Haywood County Memorial Hospital was built in its place and served the community between 1931 and 1974, before being replaced by Haywood Park General Hospital. Additionally, a private school, Tennessee Academy was formed in 1969 to house grades K-12. In 1985 Tennessee Academy was purchased by the county and became Haywood Junior High School, now Haywood Middle School.

Brownsville was considered by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1963 to receive one of the state's first three community colleges. However, the college was ultimately given to nearby Jackson and became Jackson State Community College, the first of its kind in West Tennessee.

Brownsville is served by the Elma Ross Public Library. The library finished construction in 1992 after funding was raised jointly by the county, city, and local philanthropist David William Ross. Brownsville was previously served by a Carnegie Library, established after Brownsville mayor John O. Bomer received a $7,500 grant in 1909. This library finished construction in 1912 and was renamed the Brownsville-Haywood County Library in 1957. This library began to become overcrowded in the late 1980s, prompting the construction of the current library. The Carnegie Library building is now used by the Brownsville-Haywood County Chamber of Commerce.

Brownsville's only local newspaper is the Brownsville States-Graphic. The States-Graphic was formed by a merger between The States Democrat and The Graphic in 1900. The States Democrat itself was formed from a merger of The States and The Democrat in 1886. The first newspaper to be printed in Brownsville was The Phoenix in 1837. This paper was used primarily to print partisan papers during political campaigns.

Arts and culture

The Mindfield, by Brownsville artist Billy Tripp

The Tina Turner Museum—dedicated to singer Tina Turner, born in Brownsville in 1939—is located in a renovated schoolhouse Turner attended. Located alongside the Tina Turner Museum is the relocated childhood home of local blues musician Sleepy John Estes.

The Ann L. Marks Performing Arts Center is located in the College Hill Historic District. The theater is named for local writer Ann Liberman Marks who made substantial contributions to the arts during her lifetime. The theater houses 420 attendees and was built in 1920. The theater was damaged by a storm in 2020, but reopened after renovations on January 11, 2024.

Brownsville is home to The Mindfield, the largest sculpture in Tennessee. It has been single-handedly constructed by local author and artist Billy Tripp every year since 1989. The sculpture is 127 feet at its tallest and approximately 300 feet in length.

In 2017, construction was completed on an amphitheater in downtown Brownsville. The venue plays host to numerous events, including concerts, fundraisers, and public celebrations. Free weekly concerts are held regularly in the summer to showcase local talent.

Brownsville was previously home to a spacious three-story opera house. This venue saw many traveling companies throughout the years, and also hosted various local programs, talent shows, and dances. Notable performances at the opera house were done by W. C. Handy and John Philip Sousa. The opera house was destroyed by a fire that had started in a restaurant nearby in December of 1931.

Notable people

• Henry Whitelaw Bond (1848–1919), justice of the Missouri Supreme Court
• William W. Bond (1884–1975), lawyer and Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives
• Son Bonds (1909–1947), musician
• Vic Bradford (1915–1994), Major League Baseball outfielder
• Patsy Bruce (1940–2021), country-western songwriter
• Paul Burlison (1929–2003), rockabilly pioneer, guitarist, member of The Rock and Roll Trio
• Tony Delk (born 1974), basketball player and coach, graduated from Haywood High School
• Pat Estes (1872–1947), attorney and college football player
• Clay Evans (1925–2019), gospel singer, pastor and founder of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois
• Rockey Felker (born 1953), football player and coach
• Joseph Folk (1869–1923), Circuit Attorney of the city of St. Louis, later 31st governor of Missouri
• Alfred A. Freeman (1838–1926), politician and judge, candidate for governor in 1872
• Richard Halliburton (1900–1939), adventurer and author
• Thomas J. Henderson (1824–1911), United States Representative from Illinois and Union officer
• Eugene Holmes (1932–2007), opera singer
• Trell Hooper (born 1961), former professional football defensive back
• Miles Vandahurst Lynk (1871–1956), founder, editor and publisher of Medical and Surgical Observer, the first medical journal issued by an African American
• Edith Mitchell (1947–2024), oncologist and brigadier general of the United States Air Force
• Corey Moore (born 1974), professional football player
• Hambone Willie Newbern (1901–1965), country blues musician
• Hammie Nixon (1908–1984), blues musician, son-in-law of Sleepy John Estes
• David A. Nunn (1833–1918), member of the United States House of Representatives
• Jimmy Oldham (1893–1930), Negro League pitcher
• Yank Rachell (1910–1997), country blues musician
• Brett Scallions (born 1971), frontman of the band Fuel
• Geneva Smitherman, Professor Emerita of English and co-founder of the African American and African Studies doctoral program at Michigan State University
• Harold M. Shaw (1877–1926), silent film director, screenwriter, and actor
• Nettie Barcroft Taylor (1914–2016), state librarian of Maryland
• Polk Taylor (1833–1934), Methodist minister
• Quintard Taylor (born 1948), historian and founder of BlackPast.org
• Zachary Taylor (1849–1921), member of the United States House of Representatives
• Jim Thaxton (born 1949), football player
• Billy Tripp (born 1955), author and artist
• Tina Turner (1939–2023), singer and actress, who lived in nearby Nutbush as a child.
• Leroy Tyus (1916–1998) politician, real estate developer
• Jarvis Varnado (born 1988), professional basketball player, NCAA all-time career blocks leader as a member of the Mississippi State Bulldogs
• Dwight Waller (1945–2021), professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Rockets
• T. I. Webb Jr. (1880–1975), golfer
• William Ridley Wills (1871–1949), Founder of National Life and Accident Insurance Company
• William Ridley Wills (1897–1957), American poet, novelist, newspaperman, nephew of the above

In popular culture

• Brownsville is mentioned in the song "Delta Dawn". The song's writer, Alex Harvey, was from Haywood County.

• Some scenes of the 1970 film The Liberation of L.B. Jones were shot in Brownsville, most notably at the now defunct train station.

• Multiple scenes in the 1992 television film Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story were shot in Brownsville. The scenes were filmed in the pool hall and on College Street.

See also

In Spanish: Brownsville (Tennessee) para niños