kids encyclopedia robot

Hardeman County, Tennessee facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Hardeman County
U.S. county
Hardeman County Courthouse in Bolivar
Hardeman County Courthouse in Bolivar
Map of Tennessee highlighting Hardeman County
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Tennessee
Founded 1823
Named for Thomas J. Hardeman
Seat Bolivar
Largest city Bolivar
Area
 • Total 670 sq mi (1,700 km2)
 • Land 668 sq mi (1,730 km2)
 • Water 2.6 sq mi (7 km2)  0.4%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 25,462 Decrease
 • Density 41/sq mi (16/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 8th

Hardeman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,462. Its county seat is Bolivar.

History

Hardeman County was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1823 from parts of Hardin County and "Indian lands." It is named for Thomas J. Hardeman (1788-1854), a veteran of the Creek War and the War of 1812 and a prominent figure in the fight for Texas independence. He served as a congressman in the Republic of Texas, and was also the father of Confederate brigadier general William Polk Hardeman.

Settlers began arriving in the area that is now Hardeman County in 1819, following a treaty with the Chickasaw allowing settlement in West Tennessee signed on October 19, 1818. Among these earliest settlers were the county's namesame Thomas Hardeman and Ezekiel Polk, the paternal grandfather of president James K. Polk. Thereafter, further settlers arrived from Middle Tennessee, Alabama, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.

The first permanent settlement was established in 1823 along the Hatchie River, dubbed Hatchie Town. The town's location along the river led to recurrent flooding, and ultimately the decision was made to relocate the settlement approximately one mile south to what is now Bolivar.

Hardeman County had notable involvement in the Civil War. The Battle of Hatchie's Bridge took place there on October 5, 1862, seeing 900 total casualties. During the war, the Union Army maintained control of the municipality of Grand Junction. The town was thus made a contraband camp by General Ulysses S. Grant, providing education and shelter to formerly enslaved individuals. Relating to these engagements, much of downtown Bolivar was burned down during the war.

The county is the location of two of Tennessee's four private prisons, the Whiteville Correctional Facility and the Hardeman County Correctional Center. Both are medium-security facilities for men, operated by the Corrections Corporation of America.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 670 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 668 square miles (1,730 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.4%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Tennessee by area.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

State protected areas

  • Chickasaw State Park (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1830 11,655 —
1840 14,563 25.0%
1850 17,456 19.9%
1860 17,769 1.8%
1870 18,074 1.7%
1880 22,921 26.8%
1890 21,029 −8.3%
1900 22,976 9.3%
1910 23,011 0.2%
1920 22,278 −3.2%
1930 22,193 −0.4%
1940 23,590 6.3%
1950 23,311 −1.2%
1960 21,517 −7.7%
1970 22,435 4.3%
1980 23,873 6.4%
1990 23,377 −2.1%
2000 28,105 20.2%
2010 27,253 −3.0%
2020 25,462 −6.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2014
USA Hardeman County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid
Age pyramid Hardeman County

2020 census

Hardeman County, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 20010 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 15,994 15,197 13,970 56.91% 55.76% 54.87%
Black or African American alone (NH) 11,474 11,228 10,150 40.83% 41.20% 39.86%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 66 56 46 0.23% 0.21% 0.18%
Asian alone (NH) 78 145 162 0.28% 0.53% 0.64%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 5 0 6 0.02% 0.00% 0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 13 18 68 0.05% 0.07% 0.27%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 202 233 566 0.72% 0.85% 2.22%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 273 376 494 0.97% 1.38% 1.94%
Total 28,105 27,253 25,462 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 25,462 people, 8,891 households, and 5,816 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010 the racial makeup of the county was 56.1% White (non-Hispanic) or European American, 41.01% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Schools

  • Bolivar Central High School
  • Bolivar Middle School
  • Bolivar Elementary School
  • Whiteville Elementary School
  • Middleton High School
  • Middleton Elementary School
  • Toone Elementary School
  • Grand Junction Elementary School
  • Hornsby Elementary School

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated and historic communities

  • Cloverport
  • Essary Springs
  • Middleburg
  • New Castle
  • Piney Grove
  • Pocahontas
  • Rogers Springs
  • Serles
  • Van Buren
  • Vildo

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Hardeman (Tennessee) para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Hardeman County, Tennessee Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.