Nutbush, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in the state ofTennessee | |
| Coordinates:35°41′53″N89°24′29″W / 35.69806°N 89.40806°W /35.69806; -89.40806 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Counties | Haywood |
| Elevation | 358 ft (109 m) |
| Population (2000) of the Nutbushvoting precinct | |
• Total | 259 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | |
| Area code | 731 |
Nutbush is a ruralunincorporated community inHaywood County, Tennessee, United States, in thewestern part of the state, approximately 50 miles (80 km) north-east ofMemphis.[1] It was established in the early 19th century by European-American settlers, who boughtenslavedAfrican Americans to develop the area's cotton plantations. Houses and churches built during that time still stand.
Agriculture is still the most important element of therural economy, focused on thecultivation and processing ofcotton, which has been the main commodity crop since theantebellum years, when its cultivation depended on slave labor. As of 2006, there was one cotton-processing plant in the community.
Nutbush is the childhood home of singerTina Turner, who described the "town" (really a tiny settlement of 259) in her 1973 song "Nutbush City Limits". In 2002, a segment ofTennessee State Route 19 near Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway" in her honor.[3][4][5] It is also the home town of pioneerblues musicians and recording artistsHambone Willie Newbern andSleepy John Estes.[6]
In 2000, the population of the Nutbushvoting precinct (TN 3976) was 259. Of those, 42 werewhite (16.22%), 215black (82.01%), and two were ofanother ethnicity (0.77%). At that time, 190 people (73.36%) were aged 18 or older.[7]
The community's main source of income isagriculture (especiallycotton).
After theabolition of slavery, freedmen worked atsharecropping as the primary means of income. They cultivated plots of land, mostly for growingcotton, in return for paying a share of the crop to the landowner.
Modern machines such as thecotton picker superseded manual cultivation. Many farm workers left the area for cities during theGreat Migration of the early 20th century. As of 2006, one cotton-processing plant in Nutbush is the only agricultural industry in the community.
Lagoon Creek Peaking Facility is run by theTennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Nutbush. Eight gas turbines generate electric power for the area in times of high demand.[8][9]
The Nutbush community was established in the early 19th century by settlers fromVirginia andNorth Carolina. Descended from immigrants fromEngland, they traveled westward to the Mississippi River delta in western Tennessee. They developed this area for cotton and were dependent on the use ofslave labor.[10]
These settlers foundedTrinity United Methodist Church in 1822. During the slavery years, black enslaved people were forced to attend the church under white supervision.
During and after the Civil War, more than 50Civil War soldiers, bothConfederate andUnionist, were buried in the Trinity Cemetery associated with the church. The Trinity Cemetery is mentioned on the Rootsweb Internet site as one of the best-kept cemeteries in the county.[11]
The community also had Woodlawn Church, which waslimited to whites and is still active. Under antebellum state law, most blackcongregations had to be ministered by whitepastors. In 1846, Hardin Smith, who was fromVirginia, was allowed to preach to a black congregation at an evening service at the white Woodlawn Church, the first time a congregation in the area was pastored by an enslaved person.[10][12]
After the American Civil War, theWoodlawn Missionary Baptist Church was established in 1866 by Hardin Smith and otherfreedmen of the community, aided by some members of thewhite Woodlawn Baptist Church. The freedmen soon withdrew their congregation from white supervision, as did most black Baptists in the South. They had established their own regional and national associations by the end of the century.[13][14]
Woodlawn Baptist Church was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1996 for its historical significance.[15]
In 1881, aU.S. Post office was opened in Nutbush, but was closed in 1905.[16]
Nutbush is located at35°41′53″N89°24′29″W / 35.69806°N 89.40806°W /35.69806; -89.40806 (35.6981330, -89.4081280), at an elevation of 358 feet (109 m).[1]
Cotton fields and hills dominate the landscape of the surrounding area. Nutbush is situated on the south-eastern edge of theNew Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a highearthquake risk.
The U.S.ZIP Code for Nutbush is 38063 (Ripley)[2] and the telephonearea code is731.[17]
The early Black musicians and singers from the Nutbush churches recorded and influenced an international audience.[6] Prominent recording artists includeHambone Willie Newbern andSleepy John Estes.Harmonica playerNoah Lewis ofHenning, Tennessee, is buried in an area cemetery near Nutbush.[6]
Nutbush is best known as the childhood home of singerTina Turner, then known as Anna Mae Bullock. Bullock was born in nearbyBrownsville on November 26, 1939.[18] She was raised in Nutbush,Knoxville, andRipley by her maternal grandmother and extended family in the area. The houses she lived in as a child no longer exist, but wood from her Nutbush/Flagg Grove home was used to build a barn.[19] At age 16, she moved toSt. Louis, Missouri.
BothWoodlawn Missionary Baptist Church and Spring Hill Baptist Church in Nutbush were family churches of Tina Turner. Growing up, she attended and sang in both choirs. Her family members were church officials, musicians and singers, and various members are buried in the two cemeteries.[19]
In 2002, TennesseeState Route 19 betweenBrownsville and Nutbush was officially designated as "Tina Turner Highway" in her honor.[3][4][5]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Municipalities and communities ofHaywood County, Tennessee,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
