Dyersburg is a city in Dyer County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat, meaning it's the main town where the county government is located. Dyersburg is in northwest Tennessee, about 79 miles northeast of Memphis. In 2020, about 16,164 people lived there.

History of Dyersburg
Geography and Location
Population Information
- Dyersburg's Population in 2020
Sports in Dyersburg
Parks and Fun Activities
Education in Dyersburg
Local News
City Services and Transport
- Transportation Options
- Hospital Services
Famous People from Dyersburg
See also

History of Dyersburg

Early Beginnings: 19th Century

The land where Dyersburg is now was once home to the Chickasaw people. In 1818, they signed a treaty, giving up their land in West Tennessee. Dyersburg became a town because of steamboats. Goods and people traveled up the Forked Deer River from the Mississippi River.

In 1823, the Tennessee government created Dyer County. John McIver and Joel H. Dyer gave 60 acres of land for the new county seat. This new town was named Dyersburg. It was located at a central spot called "McIver's Bluff." In 1825, Joel Dyer planned the town into 86 lots. The first courthouse was built in 1827. The current courthouse, built in 1911, is a beautiful building in the Classical Revival style. It is part of a historic area downtown.

Dyersburg grew as a river town. Steamboats helped the town's economy. In 1836, the Grey Eagle was the first steamboat to successfully travel the Forked Deer River. The county's first big industry started in 1879. A company called A. M. Stevens Lumber Company shipped timber from Dyersburg to St. Louis, Missouri. They opened a large sawmill in 1880. The Bank of Dyersburg opened in 1880, and another timber company started in 1881.

The arrival of the Newport News and Mississippi Valley Railroad in 1884 helped Dyersburg grow even more. A smaller train line, the Dyersburg Northern, soon connected the town to Tiptonville. These new train links led to more businesses. For example, in 1884, the Dyersburg Oil Company started. This company made oil from cottonseed and was important for many years.

Growth and Change: 20th Century

Between 1909 and 1914, Dyersburg became a major railroad center. Three different train lines met there, including the Illinois Central Railroad.

The Edward Moody King House is on the National Register of Historic Places.

During World War II, an emergency landing strip was built in Dyersburg. Industries kept growing, and Dyer County became a center for medicine, education, shopping, and distribution. In 1969, Dyersburg State Community College was established. This brought more learning and cultural chances to the county.

In recent decades, two big highway projects have improved transportation. Interstate 155 connects Dyersburg to Caruthersville, Missouri. It crosses the Mississippi River on the Caruthersville Bridge. This is the only highway bridge over the Mississippi River between Cairo, Illinois, and Memphis. Also, U.S. 412 was expanded to four lanes. It now connects Dyersburg to Interstate 40 at Jackson, Tennessee.

On March 5, 1963, a small plane carrying country singers Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Cowboy Copas stopped for gas in Dyersburg. The plane crashed just 20 minutes later near Camden, Tennessee, due to bad weather.

In 1967, actors Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger started filming the movie In the Heat of the Night in Dyersburg. They planned to film for three days. The movie needed a cotton plantation setting. A mansion in Dyersburg was chosen as the plantation owner's home. The filmmakers bought furniture and decorations for the house. However, due to some difficult situations, the film production left Dyersburg quickly. They finished filming in Illinois. The movie later won Oscar nominations.

Dyersburg was also mentioned in the song "Tennessee." This song was written and performed by the hip hop group Arrested Development in the 1990s.

Dyersburg in the 21st Century

In May 2011, there was major flooding in the Mississippi Delta. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked to strengthen levees. The U.S. Coast Guard closed a part of the Mississippi River to boat traffic. The President of the United States declared a major disaster for Tennessee. Dyersburg's mayor estimated about $140,000 in damages in the city. The worst flooding in Dyer County happened south of Dyersburg.

In 2012, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) gave over $2 million for new safe rooms. These safe rooms in Dyersburg are places where people can go during severe weather, like tornadoes. They are located near Dyersburg High School and in downtown Dyersburg.

The Dyersburg Mall began renovations in January 2013. In September 2013, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam gave a grant to Dyersburg State Community College. This money helped create two advanced manufacturing labs.

The McIver's Grant Public Library project started in 2011. The city of Dyersburg and the Library Board celebrated the opening of the new library facility.

In 2011, Dyersburg welcomed a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Love's Travel Stop also started building on Highway 76 in 2015.

New updates were completed at Dyersburg High School. The school now has a tornado shelter on campus that can hold 1,300 people. It is built to withstand a strong tornado. Dyersburg also has 19 outdoor emergency sirens to warn people about bad weather.

The Dyersburg Regional Airport received an award in 2015 for being the most improved airport.

The new Port of Cates Landing is located on the Mississippi River. This port can handle modern barge traffic all year round. It received $13 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The city of Dyersburg also created a 311 Call Center. This center helps residents with questions about local government services and general information.

Geography and Location

Dyersburg is in the center of Dyer County. It is located at 36°02′22″N 89°22′58″W. The city covers about 45.2 square kilometers (17.4 square miles). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Dyersburg is close to the New Madrid Seismic Zone. This means there is a chance of earthquakes in the future. Experts say there is an 18.28% chance of a major earthquake within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of Dyersburg in the next 50 years. The biggest earthquake near Dyersburg was a 4.6-magnitude event in 1989.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	683	—
1880	1,010	47.9%
1890	2,009	98.9%
1900	3,647	81.5%
1910	4,149	13.8%
1920	6,444	55.3%
1930	8,733	35.5%
1940	10,034	14.9%
1950	10,885	8.5%
1960	12,499	14.8%
1970	14,523	16.2%
1980	15,856	9.2%
1990	16,317	2.9%
2000	17,452	7.0%
2010	17,145	−1.8%
2020	16,164	−5.7%
Sources:

Dyersburg's Population in 2020

Dyersburg racial composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	10,106	62.49%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	4,337	26.82%
Native American	18	0.11%
Asian	169	1.05%
Pacific Islander	7	0.04%
Other/Mixed	809	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	725	4.48%

In 2020, there were 16,164 people living in Dyersburg. There were 6,865 households and 4,500 families.

Sports in Dyersburg

From 1923 to 1925, Dyersburg had a Minor League Baseball team. They were called the Dyersburg Forked Deers and later the Dyersburg Deers. They won the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League championship in 1923 and 1924.

On March 9, 2024, the Dyersburg High School Girls Basketball Team, known as The Lady Trojans, won their first State Championship in Class 3A. They beat Upperman High School 41-39. The game was played in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Parks and Fun Activities

Dyersburg has several public parks, places for recreation, and swimming pools for everyone to enjoy.

Education in Dyersburg

Dyersburg State Community College – This college was started in 1969. It also has smaller campuses in Henry and Tipton counties.

Most of Dyersburg is part of the Dyersburg City School District. Some areas outside the city are in the Dyer County School District. The high school for the county school district is Dyer County High School in Newbern.

Local News

The Dyersburg State Gazette is a newspaper published in Dyersburg twice a week. It has a circulation of up to 7,900 copies.

City Services and Transport

Transportation Options

Dyersburg Regional Airport, known as KDYR or DYR by the FAA, covers 275 acres.
Newbern–Dyersburg station serves the City of New Orleans train route. It is one of two Amtrak stations in Tennessee.

Hospital Services

West Tennessee Healthcare Dyersburg Hospital is a hospital with 225 beds. It was first built in 1956 as Parkview Hospital.

Famous People from Dyersburg

John Calvin Fiser (1838-1876), a soldier (Colonel) and merchant.
Harry Ford (actor) (born 1980), an actor who starred in the CBS show Code Black.
James A. Gardner, a First Lieutenant and recipient of the Medal of Honor in 1966.
John Allen Greer (1874-1941), a politician.
George "Two Ton" Harris (1927-2002), a professional wrestler known as "Baby Blimp."
John D. Hunter (1968-2012), a neurobiologist who created Matplotlib, a tool for making graphs.
Emmett Kelly, Jr. (1923-2006), known as "The World's Most Famous Clown" or "Weary Willie."
Michael Swift (born 1974), a former National Football League player. He played for the San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Henderson Edward Wright (1919-1995), a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Boston Braves and the Philadelphia Athletics.

Dyersburg, Tennessee facts for kids

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