Carthage, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Carthage is a town in Smith County, Tennessee
, United States
, and is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,251 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Smith County, and perhaps best known as the hometown of former Vice President Al Gore
, and his father, Senator Albert Gore, Sr.
The younger Gore announced his 1988 and 2000 presidential bids, as well as his 1992 vice-presidential bid, from the steps of the Smith County Courthouse.
and the Caney Fork, and just southwest of the former's Cordell Hull Lake
impoundment. South Carthage
is located along the opposite bank of the Cumberland to the south.
U.S. Route 70
passes east-to-west through South Carthage, connecting the area with Nashville
to the west and Cookeville
to the east. State Route 53 connects US-70 with Gordonsville
and Interstate 40
to the south. State Route 25 connects Carthage with Trousdale County and north-central Tennessee to the northwest, and State Route 80 connects the town with Macon County to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,251 people, 952 households, and 560 families residing in the town. The population density
was 784.5 people per square mile (302.8/km²). There were 1,050 housing units at an average density of 365.9 per square mile (141.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.67% White, 6.53% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.76% from other races
, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.
There were 952 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $32,159. Males had a median income of $30,531 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,709. About 18.6% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.
area with Middle Tennessee. The road, which roughly paralleled what is now US-70, would prove influential in the early settlement of the Cumberland region. Walton operated a ferry and tavern along the road, around which a small community developed. In 1804, Walton's community was chosen as the county seat of the newly formed Smith County after a heated election, and the town of Carthage was laid out shortly thereafter.
Carthage's situation at the confluence of the Cumberland and Caney Fork rivers made it an important shipping and steamboat port throughout the first half of the 19th-century. During the Civil War
Carthage became an important post in the eastern highland rim
area of Tennessee. Carthage was selected as part of the route Confederate General Braxton Bragg
marched the Army of Mississippi
through on his Confederate Heartland Offensive
into Kentucky. Later on March 6, 1863 Union Brigadier General George Crook
established a Union Outpost in Carthage to serve as a base from clearing out the considerable Confederate Guerrilla activity that was active from east Tennessee through middle Tennessee. As for Carthage's prominence as a river port on the Cumberland River
, the emergence of railroads later in the century made steamboat and river travel largely obsolete, and the area's industrial focus shifted to South Carthage and Gordonsville.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,251 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Smith County, and perhaps best known as the hometown of former Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, and his father, Senator Albert Gore, Sr.
Albert Gore, Sr.
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Sr. was an American politician, serving as a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator for the Democratic Party from Tennessee....
The younger Gore announced his 1988 and 2000 presidential bids, as well as his 1992 vice-presidential bid, from the steps of the Smith County Courthouse.
Geography
Carthage is located at 36°15′18"N 85°56′57"W (36.254960, -85.949211). The town is situated amidst a series of low hills at the confluence of the Cumberland RiverCumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
and the Caney Fork, and just southwest of the former's Cordell Hull Lake
Cordell Hull Lake
- External links :* *...
impoundment. South Carthage
South Carthage, Tennessee
South Carthage is a town in Smith County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,302 at the 2000 census.-Geography:South Carthage is located at ....
is located along the opposite bank of the Cumberland to the south.
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
passes east-to-west through South Carthage, connecting the area with Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
to the west and Cookeville
Cookeville, Tennessee
Cookeville is a city in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 23,923 at the 2000 census. of Cookeville's population was 30,435, and the combined total of those living in Cookeville's in 2010 was 65,014. It is the county seat of Putnam County and home to Tennessee...
to the east. State Route 53 connects US-70 with Gordonsville
Gordonsville, Tennessee
Gordonsville is a town in Smith County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,066 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gordonsville is located at ....
and Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
to the south. State Route 25 connects Carthage with Trousdale County and north-central Tennessee to the northwest, and State Route 80 connects the town with Macon County to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,251 people, 952 households, and 560 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 784.5 people per square mile (302.8/km²). There were 1,050 housing units at an average density of 365.9 per square mile (141.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.67% White, 6.53% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.76% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.
There were 952 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $32,159. Males had a median income of $30,531 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,709. About 18.6% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Carthage and other surrounding areas in Smith County are served by Smith County Schools and the Smith County Board of Education. They include:- Carthage Elementary
- Defeated Elementary
- New Middleton Elementary
- Union Heights Elementary
- Forks RiverForks RiverThe Forks River is a river in the James Bay and Moose River drainage basins in Cochrane and Timiskaming Districts in northeastern Ontario, Canada...
Elementary
- Smith County Middle School http://boe.smithcounty.com/scms/
- Gordonsville High School
- Smith County High School
- Smith County Adult EducationAdult educationAdult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
- Smith County HeadStart
History
The earliest known Euro-American settler in what is now Carthage was William Walton (1760–1816), who arrived in the late 1780s. Around 1800, Walton directed the construction of the Walton Road (Cumberland Turnpike), an early stage coach route connecting the KnoxvilleKnoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
area with Middle Tennessee. The road, which roughly paralleled what is now US-70, would prove influential in the early settlement of the Cumberland region. Walton operated a ferry and tavern along the road, around which a small community developed. In 1804, Walton's community was chosen as the county seat of the newly formed Smith County after a heated election, and the town of Carthage was laid out shortly thereafter.
Carthage's situation at the confluence of the Cumberland and Caney Fork rivers made it an important shipping and steamboat port throughout the first half of the 19th-century. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Carthage became an important post in the eastern highland rim
Highland Rim
The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions....
area of Tennessee. Carthage was selected as part of the route Confederate General Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
marched the Army of Mississippi
Army of Mississippi
There were three organizations known as the Army of Mississippi in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. -Army of Mississippi :This army, at times known by the names Army of the West or Army of the...
through on his Confederate Heartland Offensive
Confederate Heartland Offensive
The Confederate Heartland Offensive or Kentucky Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in East Tennessee and Kentucky in 1862 during the American Civil War...
into Kentucky. Later on March 6, 1863 Union Brigadier General George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
established a Union Outpost in Carthage to serve as a base from clearing out the considerable Confederate Guerrilla activity that was active from east Tennessee through middle Tennessee. As for Carthage's prominence as a river port on the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
, the emergence of railroads later in the century made steamboat and river travel largely obsolete, and the area's industrial focus shifted to South Carthage and Gordonsville.
External links
- Smith County, Tennessee – official site