Humphreys County, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Humphreys County
U.S. county
Humphreys County Courthouse in Waverly
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	1809
Named for	Parry Wayne Humphreys
Seat	Waverly
Largest city	Waverly
Area
• Total	557 sq mi (1,440 km2)
• Land	531 sq mi (1,380 km2)
• Water	26 sq mi (70 km2)  4.6%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	18,990
• Density	34/sq mi (13/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Humphreys County is a county in the western part of Middle Tennessee, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. In 2020, about 18,990 people lived here. The main town and county seat (where the county government is) is Waverly.

The county is named after Parry Wayne Humphreys, who was a judge and politician in America. It was created in 1809 from the southern part of Stewart County.

History of Humphreys County

Humphreys County was formed in 1809. It was named after Parry Wayne Humphreys, a young judge who later became a US Congressman. The first county seat was Reynoldsburg. This town was near the Dry Creek.

In 1835, the western part of Humphreys County became Benton County. Because of this change, Waverly became the new county seat. Waverly was more in the middle of the county after the change.

The Civil War and Johnsonville

During the American Civil War, a big fight called the Battle of Johnsonville happened here. This battle lasted for two days in November 1864. You can still visit parts of the battlefield at Johnsonville State Historic Park. However, much of the original battlefield is now underwater. This happened when Kentucky Lake was made. Kentucky Lake was created by building dams on the Tennessee River to help control floods.

Since the mid-1900s, Humphreys County has grown closer to the big city of Nashville. Many farms have become places where people live or where businesses are. As Nashville and the area have grown, Humphreys County has also seen more businesses and services.

Recent Events: The 2021 Flood

On August 21, 2021, big storms hit western Middle Tennessee. They caused a lot of flash flooding in several counties. Humphreys County was hit very hard.

The towns of McEwen and Waverly suffered a lot. Many homes and businesses were destroyed by the floodwaters from Trace Creek. Sadly, twenty people in the county died because of this flooding.

Geography of Humphreys County

Humphreys County covers about 557 square miles. Most of this area, about 531 square miles, is land. The rest, about 26 square miles, is water. This means about 4.6% of the county is water.

Neighboring Counties

Humphreys County shares borders with these other counties:

• Houston County (to the north)
• Dickson County (to the northeast)
• Hickman County (to the southeast)
• Perry County (to the south)
• Benton County (to the west)

Protected Natural Areas

The county is home to parts of important natural areas:

• Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (part of it is here)
• Johnsonville State Historic Park (a state-protected area)

People of Humphreys County

Age pyramid Humphreys County

What the 2020 Census Shows

The 2020 United States census counted 18,990 people living in Humphreys County. There were 6,763 households and 4,375 families.

Here's a look at the different groups of people living in Humphreys County in 2020:

Communities in Humphreys County

Cities

• McEwen
• New Johnsonville
• Waverly (this is the county seat)

Small Towns and Areas (Unincorporated)

These places are not officially cities, but they are communities:

• Bakerville
• Buffalo
• Cedar Grove
• Hurricane Mills
• Hustburg
• Polecat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Humphreys (Tennessee) para niños