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Stewart County, Tennessee facts for kids

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Stewart County
Stewart County courthouse
Stewart County courthouse
Map of Tennessee highlighting Stewart County
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Tennessee
Founded 1803
Named for Duncan Stewart
Seat Dover
Largest city Dover
Area
 • Total 493 sq mi (1,280 km2)
 • Land 459 sq mi (1,190 km2)
 • Water 34 sq mi (90 km2)  6.8%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 13,657 Increase
 • Density 29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 7th

Stewart County is a county located on the northwestern corner of Middle Tennessee, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,657. Its county seat is Dover. Stewart County is part of the Clarksville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Stewart County was created by European Americans in 1803 from a portion of Montgomery County, and was named for Duncan Stewart, an early settler and state legislator. The first County Court met in March 1804. According to Goodspeed's history of Stewart County, "Stewart County was settled principally by North Carolinians, the first of whom came some time about 1795, that State having issued military grants to survivors of the Continental war, which called for large tracts of land lying in this county". It was settled during the early migration of pioneers from Virginia to the west after the American Revolutionary War. They pushed Native American peoples, such as the Cherokee, out of the area. (Please supply sources proving that the early pioners were from Virginia.)

During the American Civil War, the Battle of Fort Donelson took place in February 1862. Union forces took control of the state, occupying several strategic areas. In August 1862 their forces partially burned the county seat, Dover, to prevent its re-capture by Confederate Lt. Col. Thomas G. Woodward. A second battle in the area, commonly called the Battle of Dover, took place in February 1863.

Tobaccoport Saltpeter Cave was intensely mined for saltpeter, possibly during the War of 1812 but more likely not until the Civil War. Saltpeter is the main ingredient of gunpowder and was obtained by leaching the earth from the cave. The Union took control of Tennessee and this area in February 1862, early in the Civil War. It seems unlikely that mining could have happened before that.

Geography

Cumberland Fossil Plant-7 (4405089158)
Cumberland Power Plant

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 493 square miles (1,280 km2), of which 459 square miles (1,190 km2) is land and 34 square miles (88 km2) (6.8%) is water. The county lies in a rugged section of the northwestern Highland Rim. The Cumberland River (part of Lake Barkley) traverses the county. The Tennessee River (part of Kentucky Lake) provides the county's border with Henry County to the west.

Federal and state agencies control nearly 44% of the land in the county.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

State protected areas

  • Barkley Wildlife Management Area
  • Stewart State Forest

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1810 4,262
1820 8,397 97.0%
1830 6,968 −17.0%
1840 8,587 23.2%
1850 9,719 13.2%
1860 9,896 1.8%
1870 12,019 21.5%
1880 12,690 5.6%
1890 12,193 −3.9%
1900 15,224 24.9%
1910 14,860 −2.4%
1920 14,664 −1.3%
1930 13,278 −9.5%
1940 13,549 2.0%
1950 9,175 −32.3%
1960 7,851 −14.4%
1970 7,319 −6.8%
1980 8,665 18.4%
1990 9,479 9.4%
2000 12,370 30.5%
2010 13,324 7.7%
2020 13,657 2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2014
USA Stewart County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid
Age pyramid Stewart County

2020 census

Stewart County racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 12,321 90.22%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 171 1.25%
Native American 74 0.54%
Asian 76 0.56%
Pacific Islander 2 0.01%
Other/Mixed 677 4.96%
Hispanic or Latino 336 2.46%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 13,657 people, 5,178 households, and 3,355 families residing in the county.

Media

Radio stations

  • WTPR-FM 101.7 - "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
  • WTPR-AM 710 - "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
  • WRQR-FM 105.5 - "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning"

Newspaper

  • The Stewart County Standard

Communities

City

Towns

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Stewart (Tennessee) para niños

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