Bledsoe County, Tennessee

County in Tennessee, United States

County in Tennessee

Bledsoe County

County

Bledsoe County Courthouse in Pikeville

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee

Tennessee's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 35°36′N 85°13′W﻿ / ﻿35.6°N 85.21°W﻿ / 35.6; -85.21
Country|  United States
State|  Tennessee
Founded| 1807
Named after| Anthony Bledsoe[1]
Seat| Pikeville
Largest city| Pikeville
Area

• Total

| 407 sq mi (1,050 km2)
• Land| 406 sq mi (1,050 km2)
• Water| 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)  0.08%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 14,913
• Density| 36.73/sq mi (14.18/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 4th
Website| https://bledsoetn.com/

Bledsoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,913.[2] Its county seat is Pikeville.[3]

## History

[edit]

Bledsoe County was formed in 1807 from land that was formerly Cherokee Nation land as well as land carved from Roane County. The county was named for Anthony Bledsoe (1739–1788), a soldier in the Revolutionary War and was an early settler of Sumner County. He was killed in an Indian attack at Bledsoe's Station.[4]

Like many East Tennessee counties, Bledsoe County opposed secession on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession on June 8, 1861, the county's residents voted against secession by a margin of 500 to 197.[5] General James G. Spears, a resident of Bledsoe, served as a vice president at the pro-Union East Tennessee Convention in May and June 1861, and fought for the Union Army in the war.[6]

### The Lynching of James Scales

[edit]

James Scales was incarcerated at the Training and Agricultural School for Colored Boys in Bledsoe County after he was convicted for armed robbery. At the reformatory James was tasked with cooking and building fires for the Superintendent Henry Eugene Scott's family, namely his wife Notie Bell Lewis Scott and their daughter Gwendolyn Scott McKinney, whose home resided on the grounds of the reformatory.

On November 23rd 1944 McKinney was found murdered and her mother severely injured, later dying of her injuries. Scales was immediately suspected of the double murder. He was found later in the day by farmers who brought him to the reformatory, where he was later taken to the local jail in Pikeville.

At the local jail Scales was placed in a cell by the jail cook. Construction workers nearby impersonated reformatory personnel and requested Scales be released to them. The jail cook obliged and released scales.

After Scales was kidnapped he was taken to reformatory grounds, at the grounds a tree had been prepared for a lynching. A barrel was placed beneath the tree for Scales to stand on, a witness to the event attempted to stop the lynching but Scales was shot 4 to 6 times by a member of the mob killing him at the age of 16.[7]

## Geography

[edit]

Northern Bledsoe County, with the Cumberland Plateau on the horizon

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 407 square miles (1,050 km2), of which 406 square miles (1,050 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) (0.08%) is water.[8]

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Cumberland County (north)
* Rhea County (east/EST Border)
* Hamilton County (southeast/EST Border)
* Sequatchie County (southwest)
* Van Buren County (west)

### State protected areas

[edit]

* Bledsoe State Forest (part)
* Fall Creek Falls State Natural Area (part)
* Fall Creek Falls State Park (part)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1820| 4,005| | —
1830| 4,648| | 16.1%
1840| 5,676| | 22.1%
1850| 5,959| | 5.0%
1860| 4,459| | −25.2%
1870| 4,870| | 9.2%
1880| 5,617| | 15.3%
1890| 6,134| | 9.2%
1900| 6,626| | 8.0%
1910| 6,329| | −4.5%
1920| 7,218| | 14.0%
1930| 7,128| | −1.2%
1940| 8,358| | 17.3%
1950| 8,561| | 2.4%
1960| 7,811| | −8.8%
1970| 7,643| | −2.2%
1980| 9,478| | 24.0%
1990| 9,669| | 2.0%
2000| 12,367| | 27.9%
2010| 12,876| | 4.1%
2020| 14,913| | 15.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[2]

Age pyramid Bledsoe County[13]

### 2020 census

[edit]

Bledsoe County racial composition[14] Race  | Number  | Percentage

|
|

White (non-Hispanic)  | 13,129  | 88.04%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)  | 781  | 5.24%
Native American | 48  | 0.32%
Asian | 37  | 0.25%
Other/Mixed | 459  | 3.08%
Hispanic or Latino | 459  | 3.08%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,913 people, 4,894 households, and 3,473 families residing in the county.

### 2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 12,367 people, 4,430 households, and 3,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12 people/km2). There were 5,142 housing units at an average density of 13 units per square mile (5.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.44% White, 3.70% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,430 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.20% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.10% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 121.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,982, and the median income for a family was $34,593. Males had a median income of $26,648 versus $20,639 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,889. About 14.90% of families and 18.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 23.20% of those age 65 or over.

## Recreation

[edit]

Bledsoe County is home to a portion of Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park.

## Prisons

[edit]

Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) covers about 2,500 acres between Pikeville and Spencer. The prison is a level 3 facility which houses about 2,539 offenders in three separate facilities: Site 1; Site 2 (formerly Southeast Tennessee State Regional Correctional Facility); and Unit 28 (houses female offenders.)[16]

## Communities

[edit]

### City

[edit]

Old Bellview School in northwestern Bledsoe County

* Pikeville (county seat)

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Cold Spring
* Dill
* Lees Station
* Lusk
* Melvine
* Mount Crest
* New Harmony
* Pailo
* Summer City
* Tiptop

## Politics

[edit]

The last Democrat to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1992. In 1988, it was one of two counties that didn't vote for Democratic Senator Jim Sasser, but two years later, it backed Governor Ned McWherter.[17][18]

United States presidential election results for Bledsoe County, Tennessee[19] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 5,254  | 84.87% | 891  | 14.39%  | 46  | 0.74%
2020 | 4,725  | 82.06% | 971  | 16.86%  | 62  | 1.08%
2016 | 3,622  | 77.66% | 897  | 19.23%  | 145  | 3.11%
2012 | 3,022  | 69.33% | 1,267  | 29.07%  | 70  | 1.61%
2008 | 3,166  | 66.18% | 1,517  | 31.71%  | 101  | 2.11%
2004 | 2,849  | 59.24% | 1,927  | 40.07%  | 33  | 0.69%
2000 | 2,380  | 56.72% | 1,756  | 41.85%  | 60  | 1.43%
1996 | 1,626  | 46.04% | 1,621  | 45.89%  | 285  | 8.07%
1992 | 1,776  | 44.20%  | 1,884  | 46.89% | 358  | 8.91%
1988 | 1,858  | 59.04% | 1,274  | 40.48%  | 15  | 0.48%
1984 | 1,950  | 59.34% | 1,316  | 40.05%  | 20  | 0.61%
1980 | 1,970  | 54.94% | 1,585  | 44.20%  | 31  | 0.86%
1976 | 1,620  | 47.63%  | 1,757  | 51.66% | 24  | 0.71%
1972 | 1,952  | 65.90% | 899  | 30.35%  | 111  | 3.75%
1968 | 1,477  | 46.65% | 957  | 30.23%  | 732  | 23.12%
1964 | 1,431  | 50.33% | 1,412  | 49.67%  | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 1,439  | 58.69% | 981  | 40.01%  | 32  | 1.31%
1956 | 1,429  | 56.57% | 1,079  | 42.72%  | 18  | 0.71%
1952 | 1,229  | 50.85% | 1,158  | 47.91%  | 30  | 1.24%
1948 | 1,103  | 49.07% | 1,092  | 48.58%  | 53  | 2.36%
1944 | 1,187  | 59.89% | 795  | 40.11%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 1,317  | 46.31%  | 1,527  | 53.69% | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 1,178  | 48.70%  | 1,218  | 50.35% | 23  | 0.95%
1932 | 960  | 48.14%  | 1,034  | 51.86% | 0  | 0.00%
1928 | 901  | 60.11% | 598  | 39.89%  | 0  | 0.00%
1924 | 690  | 58.28% | 485  | 40.96%  | 9  | 0.76%
1920 | 1,198  | 71.31% | 482  | 28.69%  | 0  | 0.00%
1916 | 681  | 61.68% | 423  | 38.32%  | 0  | 0.00%
1912 | 379  | 30.22%  | 464  | 37.00% | 411  | 32.78%

## See also

[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Bledsoe County, Tennessee
* USS Bledsoe County (LST-356)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Elizabeth Robnett, "Bledsoe County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 31, 2013.
2. ^ a b "Bledsoe County, Tennessee". quickfacts.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, pages 508-513
5. ^ Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
6. ^ Oliver Perry Temple, Mary Boyce Temple (ed.), "General James G. Spears," Notable Men of Tennessee (Cosmopolitan Press, 1912), pp. 186-190.
7. ^ Cohen, Andrew (April 1, 2014). "The Lynching of James Scales: How the FBI, the DOJ, and State Authorities "Whitewashed" Racial Violence in Bledsoe County, Tennessee". Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights: 295–314.
8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
11. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
13. ^ Based on 2000 census data
14. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
16. ^ See "Bledsoe County Correctional Complex" (2020)
17. ^ "1988 Senatorial General Election Results - Tennessee". Archived from the original on May 14, 2015.
18. ^ "1990 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Tennessee". Archived from the original on May 28, 2013.
19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 9, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bledsoe County, Tennessee.

* Bledsoe County Chamber of Commerce
* TNGenweb
* Blesoe County – genealogical resources

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Places adjacent to Bledsoe County, Tennessee

|  | Cumberland County |

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Van Buren County |

Bledsoe County, Tennessee

| Rhea County
|  |
Sequatchie County |  | Hamilton County

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Municipalities and communities of Bledsoe County, Tennessee, United States

County seat: Pikeville

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35°36′N 85°13′W﻿ / ﻿35.60°N 85.21°W﻿ / 35.60; -85.21

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