Bledsoe County, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Bledsoe County Courthouse in Pikeville | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
| Coordinates:35°36′N85°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 (0.78 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 acounty located in theU.S. state ofTennessee. As of the2020 census, the population was 14,913.[2] Itscounty seat isPikeville.[3]
Bledsoe County was formed in 1807 from land that was formerly Cherokee Nation land as well as land carved fromRoane County. The county was named forAnthony Bledsoe (1739–1788), a soldier in theRevolutionary War and was an early settler ofSumner County. He was killed in an Indian attack atBledsoe's Station.[4]
Like manyEast Tennessee counties, Bledsoe County opposed secession on the eve of theCivil 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] GeneralJames G. Spears, a resident of Bledsoe, served as a vice president at the pro-UnionEast Tennessee Convention in May and June 1861, and fought for the Union Army in the war.[6]
James Scales, a Black teenager was incarcerated at the Training and Agricultural School for Colored Boys in Bledsoe County after he was convicted for armedrobbery. At thereformatory 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 23, 1944, McKinney was found murdered and her mother severely injured, later dying of her injuries. Scales was immediately suspected of the doublemurder. He was found later in the day by farmers who brought him to thereformatory, 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 impersonatedreformatory personnel and requested Scales be released to them. The jail cook obliged and released Scales.
After Scales was kidnapped he was taken toreformatory grounds, at the grounds a tree had been prepared for alynching. 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]
According to theU.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]
| 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] | |||
| 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 orLatino | 459 | 3.08% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 14,913 people, 4,894 households, and 3,473 families residing in the county.
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 12,367 people, 4,430 households, and 3,313 families residing in the county. Thepopulation 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 orAfrican American, 0.38%Native American, 0.11%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.19% fromother races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population wereHispanic orLatino 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% weremarried 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. Theper capita income for the county was $13,889. About 14.90% of families and 18.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 23.20% of those age 65 or over.
Bledsoe County is home to a portion ofFall Creek Falls State Resort Park.
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]
The last Democrat to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1992. In1988, it was one of two counties that didn't vote for Democratic SenatorJim Sasser, buttwo years later, it backed GovernorNed McWherter.[17][18]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | % | № | % | № | % | |
| 1912 | 379 | 30.22% | 464 | 37.00% | 411 | 32.78% |
| 1916 | 681 | 61.68% | 423 | 38.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 1,198 | 71.31% | 482 | 28.69% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 690 | 58.28% | 485 | 40.96% | 9 | 0.76% |
| 1928 | 901 | 60.11% | 598 | 39.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 960 | 48.14% | 1,034 | 51.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 1,178 | 48.70% | 1,218 | 50.35% | 23 | 0.95% |
| 1940 | 1,317 | 46.31% | 1,527 | 53.69% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 1,187 | 59.89% | 795 | 40.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,103 | 49.07% | 1,092 | 48.58% | 53 | 2.36% |
| 1952 | 1,229 | 50.85% | 1,158 | 47.91% | 30 | 1.24% |
| 1956 | 1,429 | 56.57% | 1,079 | 42.72% | 18 | 0.71% |
| 1960 | 1,439 | 58.69% | 981 | 40.01% | 32 | 1.31% |
| 1964 | 1,431 | 50.33% | 1,412 | 49.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,477 | 46.65% | 957 | 30.23% | 732 | 23.12% |
| 1972 | 1,952 | 65.90% | 899 | 30.35% | 111 | 3.75% |
| 1976 | 1,620 | 47.63% | 1,757 | 51.66% | 24 | 0.71% |
| 1980 | 1,970 | 54.94% | 1,585 | 44.20% | 31 | 0.86% |
| 1984 | 1,950 | 59.34% | 1,316 | 40.05% | 20 | 0.61% |
| 1988 | 1,858 | 59.04% | 1,274 | 40.48% | 15 | 0.48% |
| 1992 | 1,776 | 44.20% | 1,884 | 46.89% | 358 | 8.91% |
| 1996 | 1,626 | 46.04% | 1,621 | 45.89% | 285 | 8.07% |
| 2000 | 2,380 | 56.72% | 1,756 | 41.85% | 60 | 1.43% |
| 2004 | 2,849 | 59.24% | 1,927 | 40.07% | 33 | 0.69% |
| 2008 | 3,166 | 66.18% | 1,517 | 31.71% | 101 | 2.11% |
| 2012 | 3,022 | 69.33% | 1,267 | 29.07% | 70 | 1.61% |
| 2016 | 3,622 | 77.66% | 897 | 19.23% | 145 | 3.11% |
| 2020 | 4,725 | 82.06% | 971 | 16.86% | 62 | 1.08% |
| 2024 | 5,254 | 84.87% | 891 | 14.39% | 46 | 0.74% |
Places adjacent to Bledsoe County, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofBledsoe County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
35°36′N85°13′W / 35.60°N 85.21°W /35.60; -85.21
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