McNairy County, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
McNairy County
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McNairy County Courthouse in Selmer
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Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
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 Tennessee's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Tennessee |
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| Founded | October 8, 1823 | ||
| Named for | John McNairy | ||
| Seat | Selmer | ||
| Largest city | Selmer | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 564 sq mi (1,460 km2) | ||
| • Land | 563 sq mi (1,460 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.8 sq mi (2 km2) 0.1%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 25,866  |
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| • Density | 46/sq mi (18/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 8th | ||
McNairy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,866. The county seat and largest city is Selmer. McNairy County is located along Tennessee's border with the state of Mississippi.
Sheriff Buford Pusser, whose story was told in the Walking Tall series of movies, was the sheriff of McNairy County from 1964 to 1970.
McNairy County is the location of the Coon Creek Science Center, a notable fossil site that preserves Late Cretaceous marine shells and vertebrate remains (such as mosasaurs).
The postwar musical environment of the county played a pivotal role in the development of popular music. Influential disc jockey Dewey Phillips hailed from Adamsville, Tennessee. Carl Perkins made the first recordings of his career in the home studio of Stanton Littlejohn at Eastview, Tennessee. Perkins and Elvis Presley had their first meeting at one of Presley's earliest road performances in Bethel Springs, Tennessee.
Contents
History
McNairy County was formed in 1823 from parts of Hardin County, and was named for Judge John McNairy.
Purdy was the county seat of McNairy County until 1890. Since then, Selmer has been the county seat.
During the Civil War, McNairy County was among the most divided counties in Tennessee. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, McNairy County voted to secede by a margin of 1,318 to 586. However, earlier on February 9, 1861, McNairy County voters had voted against holding a secession convention by a margin of 916 to 811. Despite the strong overall support for secession, there was a strong Unionist minority in the northern half adjacent to solidly pro-Union Henderson County.
The history of McNairy County also includes a very small, almost-unheard-of school. The Trantham School, listed on the 1940 census, operated from 1922 through 1948, with a single teacher serving grades 1 through 8.
Sheriff Buford Pusser
Buford Pusser served as the sheriff of McNairy County from 1964 to 1970. The courthouse and jail in Selmer were his base of operations. He gained prominence for his fight against illegal distilleries, bootleggers, gambling establishments, and corruption in the county. His story has been made famous in the Walking Tall series of movies starring Joe Don Baker, Bo Svenson, Brian Dennehy, and Dwayne Johnson, and in numerous documentaries and books.
Newspapers
The oldest existing business in McNairy County is its newspaper, the Independent Appeal, which was founded as the McNairy County Independent in 1902. It is located in Selmer.
In 2008, Tom Evans, a former reporter and photographer for the Independent Appeal, formed his own weekly newspaper, The McNairy County News.
School District
The schools fall under the McNairy County School District. The superintendent is Greg Martin The district is a public school district, serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. It serves over 4,000 student with 8 schools.
Schools
- Elementary Schools
- Adamsville Elementary School
- Mr. Danny Combs, Principal
- Bethel Springs Elementary School
- Mr. Terry Moore, Principal
- Michie Elementary School
- Dr. Matt Alred, Principal
- Ramer Elementary School
- Dr. Sondra Kiser, Principal
- Selmer Elementary School
- Mrs. Pamela Simon, Principal
- Middle Schools
- Selmer Middle School
- Dr. Brenda Armstrong, Principal
- High Schools
- Adamsville High School
- Mr. Steve Killingsworth, Principal
- McNairy Central High School
- Dr. Jerry Pyron, Principal
Board of education
The district's board of education has 7 members elected from each of the 7 districts that make up McNairy County.
Controversies
The Selmer Elementary School principal failed to report abuse claims after evidence revealed Principal Simon was notified of abuse allegations on numerous occasions between October 2021 and December 2021. The report states that Simon did not notify the Department of Children Services of these claims, which as a school employee is a violation of Tennessee law as a mandatory reporter.
A McNairy County school board member was charged with choking his teen co-worker in May 2023.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 564 square miles (1,460 km2), of which 563 square miles (1,460 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) (0.1%) is water.
The major highways U.S. Route 64 (east-west) and U.S. Route 45 (north-south) pass through McNairy County and intersect in Selmer. Between the late 1990s and mid 2010s, both highways were upgraded to four lane divided highways, giving the county quicker access to the surrounding areas. McNairy County's position on Route 64 places it on the historic Lee Highway, which stretches from New York to San Francisco.
State Highways 22 and 57 also pass through the county. SR 22 along the eastern portion intersecting with US 64 in Adamsville, and SR 57 through the southern portion intersecting with US 45 in Eastview. Highways 22 and 57 intersect as well in Michie.
Adjacent counties
- Chester County (north)
- Hardin County (east)
- Alcorn County, Mississippi (south)
- Hardeman County (west)
State protected areas
- Big Hill Pond State Park
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 5,697 | — | |
| 1840 | 9,385 | 64.7% | |
| 1850 | 12,864 | 37.1% | |
| 1860 | 14,732 | 14.5% | |
| 1870 | 12,726 | −13.6% | |
| 1880 | 17,271 | 35.7% | |
| 1890 | 15,510 | −10.2% | |
| 1900 | 17,760 | 14.5% | |
| 1910 | 16,536 | −6.9% | |
| 1920 | 18,350 | 11.0% | |
| 1930 | 19,901 | 8.5% | |
| 1940 | 20,424 | 2.6% | |
| 1950 | 20,390 | −0.2% | |
| 1960 | 18,085 | −11.3% | |
| 1970 | 18,369 | 1.6% | |
| 1980 | 22,525 | 22.6% | |
| 1990 | 22,422 | −0.5% | |
| 2000 | 24,653 | 10.0% | |
| 2010 | 26,075 | 5.8% | |
| 2020 | 25,866 | −0.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014 |
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2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 22,847 | 88.33% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,545 | 5.97% |
| Native American | 55 | 0.21% |
| Asian | 78 | 0.3% |
| Other/Mixed | 903 | 3.49% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 438 | 1.69% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 25,866 people, 10,022 households, and 6,724 families residing in the county.
Parks and attractions
McNairy County is the site of 5,000-acre (20 km2) Big Hill Pond State Park, which is forested with timberland and hardwood bottomland. The county is also the location of the Coon Creek Science Center, a notable fossil site, located in Leapwood over the Coon Creek Formation, which preserves Late Cretaceous marine shells and vertebrate remains (such as mosasaurs) left there 70 million years ago.
Communities
Cities
- Adamsville (partly in Hardin County)
- Bethel Springs
- Ramer
- Selmer (county seat and largest city)
Towns
- Eastview
- Finger
- Guys
- Hornsby (mostly in Hardeman County)
- Milledgeville (partial)
- Michie
- Stantonville
Unincorporated communities
- Acton
- Chewalla
- Falcon (neighborhood in Selmer)
- Leapwood
- McNairy
- Purdy
- Pocahontas (mostly in Hardeman County)
See also
In Spanish: Condado de McNairy para niños
