Pinson, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Pinson is an unincorporated community
in Madison County, Tennessee
, United States
. It lies along U.S. Route 45
between Jackson
and Henderson
, just north of the Chester County line. It is included in the Jackson, Tennessee
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. It is most noteworthy as being the site of the Pinson Mounds, the largest Middle Woodland period
Indian mound group in the United States, and the Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park dedicated to their study.
while surveying land grants for Colonel Thomas Henderson. The surveyors dubbed the mound Mount Pinson. The complex, built about 500 CE, contains 17 mounds, an earthwork enclosure, and habitation areas.
Around 1866, the town of Pinson was founded near the site of the mounds on land originally belonging to A. S. Rogers.
The town was hit by a devastating tornado on March 11, 1923, which destroyed about 50 homes and killed at least 18 people. It has been estimated that the tornado was an F5 on the Fujita scale
based on damage reports.
The former Pinson High School
was one of several consolidated into South Side High School (Jackson, Tennessee)
in 1956.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Madison County, Tennessee
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...
. It lies along U.S. Route 45
U.S. Route 45
U.S. Route 45 is a north–south United States highway. US 45 is a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as ....
between Jackson
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
and Henderson
Henderson, Tennessee
Henderson is an incorporated city in Chester County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,670 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chester County...
, just north of the Chester County line. It is included in the Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area
The Jackson, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties - Madison and Chester - in western Tennessee, anchored by the city of Jackson...
. It is most noteworthy as being the site of the Pinson Mounds, the largest Middle Woodland period
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
Indian mound group in the United States, and the Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park dedicated to their study.
History
Around 1820, a group of five surveyors, including Joel Pinson and Memucan Hunt Howard, discovered a platform moundPlatform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
while surveying land grants for Colonel Thomas Henderson. The surveyors dubbed the mound Mount Pinson. The complex, built about 500 CE, contains 17 mounds, an earthwork enclosure, and habitation areas.
Around 1866, the town of Pinson was founded near the site of the mounds on land originally belonging to A. S. Rogers.
The town was hit by a devastating tornado on March 11, 1923, which destroyed about 50 homes and killed at least 18 people. It has been estimated that the tornado was an F5 on the Fujita scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
based on damage reports.
The former Pinson High School
Pinson High School
Pinson High School was a public high school in Pinson, Tennessee. In 1956 it was one of several consolidated into South Side High School .Its best-known alumnus is Eddy Arnold....
was one of several consolidated into South Side High School (Jackson, Tennessee)
South Side High School (Jackson, Tennessee)
South Side High School in Jackson, Tennessee is a public high school, part of the Madison County, Tennessee school system. It was created in 1956 by the consolidation of Pinson High School, Malesus High School, J.B. Young High School and Mercer High School...
in 1956.