Marion County, Tennessee Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Marion County
U.S. county
Marion County Courthouse in Jasper
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	1817
Named for	Francis Marion
Seat	Jasper
Largest town	Jasper
Area
• Total	512 sq mi (1,330 km²)
• Land	498 sq mi (1,290 km²)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km²) 2.8%%
Population (2020)
• Total	28,837
• Density	57/sq mi (22/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th

Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. In 2020, about 28,837 people lived here. Its main town, called the county seat, is Jasper. Marion County is part of the larger Chattanooga area, which includes parts of Alabama and Georgia. The county is in the Central time zone.

History

Marion County was created in 1817. Long ago, Native American tribes lived here.

In 1779, a Cherokee chief named Dragging Canoe moved his people. They settled near Running Water creek. He helped build the town of Nickajack near Nickajack Cave. In 1794, soldiers from Nashville, Tennessee attacked and burned the town.

The Chickamauga Indians rebuilt Nickajack. They lived there until 1838. At that time, all Native Americans were forced to leave Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. This sad journey is known as the Trail of Tears.

Lock at Hales Bar Dam, 1916

During the American Civil War (starting in 1861), people mined for saltpeter in Nickajack Cave. Saltpeter is a key ingredient for making gunpowder. The Confederate army took over the mining. Nickajack Cave became a major source of saltpeter for the Confederate States of America. Mining stopped in late 1862. Many soldiers visited the cave as they traveled on the Tennessee River.

Another important mine during the war was Monteagle Saltpeter Cave. It was about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Monteagle. People reported seeing old mining equipment there even in 1917.

By the late 1800s and early 1900s, coal and iron mining became very important. Mines operated in places like Whitwell and Inman. Iron factories were in South Pittsburg.

The Hales Bar Dam was built on the Tennessee River. Construction lasted from 1905 to 1913. It was one of the first big dams built across a river that boats could use. In the 1960s, the Tennessee Valley Authority replaced Hales Bar Dam with Nickajack Dam. The old Hales Bar powerhouse is still there, used as a boathouse.

Geography

Foster Falls, part of the Fiery Gizzard Trail

Nickajack Lake

Marion County covers about 512 square miles (1,326 km²). Most of this is land, about 498 square miles (1,290 km²). The rest, about 14 square miles (36 km²), is water.

Marion County is in the Sequatchie Valley. This is a long, narrow valley that cuts through the Cumberland Plateau. The Sequatchie River flows through the valley. It empties into the Tennessee River near Jasper.

Nickajack Dam is on the Tennessee River near Jasper. It creates Nickajack Lake. The Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant is also in the county.

Adjacent counties

State protected areas

Chimneys State Natural Area
Franklin State Forest (part)
Hicks Gap State Natural Area
Prentice Cooper State Forest
Sequatchie Cave State Natural Area
South Cumberland State Park (part)

Population

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1820	3,888	—
1830	5,508	41.7%
1840	6,070	10.2%
1850	6,314	4.0%
1860	6,190	−2.0%
1870	6,841	10.5%
1880	10,910	59.5%
1890	15,411	41.3%
1900	17,281	12.1%
1910	18,820	8.9%
1920	17,402	−7.5%
1930	17,549	0.8%
1940	19,140	9.1%
1950	20,520	7.2%
1960	21,036	2.5%
1970	20,577	−2.2%
1980	24,416	18.7%
1990	24,860	1.8%
2000	27,776	11.7%
2010	28,237	1.7%
2020	28,837	2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014

Age pyramid Marion County

In 2020, Marion County had 28,837 people. There were 11,477 households and 8,114 families. Most people (about 89%) were White. About 3.6% were Black or African American.

In 2010, the county had 28,237 people. The population density was about 57 people per square mile (22 people/km²). About 22.8% of the people were under 18 years old. About 8.9% were 65 or older. The average age was 43.9 years. Slightly more than half the population (50.9%) was female.

Education

Marion County has several schools for students:

Jasper Elementary School
Jasper Middle School
Marion County High School
Monteagle Elementary School
South Pittsburg Elementary
South Pittsburg High School
Whitwell Elementary School
Whitwell Middle School
Whitwell High School
Richard Hardy Memorial School

Media

Marion County gets news and entertainment from many local and national sources. These reach about one million people in four states. These states are Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Newspapers

The Marion Tribune started in August 2023. It is the only official newspaper in Marion County.

Radio

Marion County is part of the Chattanooga radio market. Some radio stations are based in Marion County cities:

AM

WEPG 910 AM – Plays Country music (from South Pittsburg)

FM

WUUQ 97.3 – Plays Classic Country music (from South Pittsburg)
W285FW 104.9 - 104.9 The River WEPG (from South Pittsburg)
WJCR-LP-94.7 - Jasper Christ-Centered Radio (from Jasper)

Television

Marion County is part of the Chattanooga TV market. Cable TV companies here include Charter Communications and Trinity Cable.

Transportation

Airport

Marion County Airport, also called Brown Field, is a public airport. It is about 4 nautical miles (7 km) southeast of Jasper.

Roads

I-24
US 41
US 64
US 72
SR 2
SR 27
SR 28
SR 56
SR 108
SR 134
SR 156
SR 283
SR 377
SR 422
Orme Mountain Road

Parks and natural features

Nickajack Cave is a very old and important cave in Tennessee. It is located near Shellmound Station, on the west side of the Tennessee River. Today, it is part of a park run by the city of New Hope.

Visitors can walk on a paved trail to a viewing deck. From there, you can watch bats fly out of the cave at sunset. The cave used to be open for tours. But in 1968, the cave entrance was flooded. This happened when the Tennessee Valley Authority built Nickajack Dam about 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream. The new dam replaced the older Hales Bar Dam.