Morristown, Tennessee
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| Morristown, Tennessee | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Hamblen |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Gary R. Johnson (D) |
| Area | |
| - City | 20.9 sq mi (54.1 km²) |
| - Land | 20.9 sq mi (54.1 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 1,350 ft (411.5 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - City | 1,347,672 |
| - Density | 1,194.7/sq mi (461.2/km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website: http://www.mymorristown.com | |
Morristown is a city in Tennessee, United States. The population was 24,965 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Grainger, Hamblen and Jefferson counties. It is the county seat of Hamblen CountyGR6.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early Settlement
The first European settler of what eventually became Morristown was a farmer named Gideon Morris. It is recorded in Goodspeed's "History of Tennessee" that Gideon, along with an unspecified number of his siblings, arrived in the area of present-day Morristown from the Watauga Settlement, a short-lived semi-autonomous settlement located in North-east Tennessee that was originally leased from the resident Cherokee tribes during the 1770s.
Records in North Carolina indicate that the Morris clan moved to the Watauga Settlement from North Carolina. According to Cora Davis Brooks, author of "History of Morristown 1787 - 1936":
- "Gideon Morris was listed as one of the signers of the petition to annex Watauga to North Carolina in 1775, and in the Fall of the same year he served in Colonel Christian's expedition against the Indians. (N. C. Colonial Records, Vol. 10, p. 708) ( King's Mountain Men by Miss Kate White.)"
- "In 1778 Gideon Morris appeared in court and swore allegiance ('History of South-west Virginia', by Summers). Lands were granted by the State of North Carolina to Gideon Morris in Washington, Greene and Hawkins counties. He probably settled on portions of these grants either in 1787 or 1791, which was included in Jefferson county and now in Hamblen county."
The settlement founded by Gideon has, as far as it has been noted, always been called Morristown. No known records exist demonstrating land grants in the area to anyone aside from Gideon and his extended family. Jefferson County, TN., which is due west from Hamblen County, possesses a record in the Jefferson County Court House of the results of the execution of Gideon Morris's will, which includes property deeded to John Morris in 1817 for a 400 acre tract of land originally granted to Gideon by the State of North Carolina, and presumably comprising only a portion of the original grant due to the known size of the Morris family at that time. The record further details the fact that Gideon lived on the 400 acre tract of land until his death, and the inference that he was buried in the Morris family graveyard ends the record.
The Morris family graveyard was, logically, located near to the original family home. It is easy to find, located on what is now called East Louise Avenue a bit south of Main Street in East Morristown, southeast of the Morristown-Hamblen Library. Today it consists of a single acre enclosed by a fence of iron, and has a simple sign affixed to its gate with nothing more than 'Morris' on the plate. The oldest date recorded on the burial slabs is for one John Morris, born in 1770. His wife, Rachel, is recorded nearby as having been born in 1786. Another notable stone marks the resting place of Mary Spoon, listed as born in 1779 and died in 1882, which would make her over one-hundred years old at the time of death.
Gideon was known to have had three sons with him when he arrived in the area of present-day Morristown. Their names are recorded as John, Gideon, and Shadrack.
One daughter of Gideon's by name of Elizabeth, is listed in official records as having married a man with the name of Hurst, and their son was James Hurst. At the present time, the name Hurst is fairly common in Hamblen and surrounding counties, with many of those bearing the name in prominent positions in those counties.
[edit] 20th century
In the late 1990s, large numbers of Hispanic immigrants, including many illegal immigrants, settled in Morristown, especially in the rural parts of Hamblen County south and east of the Morristown city centre. The story of the conflict between the immigrants and the locals was documented by Kim Cobb in a 2006 Houston Chronicle article [1].
[edit] Geography
Morristown is located at (36.210615, -83.296141)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 54.1 km² (20.9 mi²). Some of the area is covered with water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 24,965 people, 10,270 households, and 6,531 families residing in the city. The population density was 461.2/km² (1,194.7/mi²). There were 11,036 housing units at an average density of 203.9/km² (528.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.73% White, 7.49% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 6.31% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.43% of the population.
There were 10,270 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,005, and the median income for a family was $33,391. Males had a median income of $26,724 versus $20,515 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,894. About 14.6% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Trivia
- The movie Evil Dead was filmed in Morristown off of Kidwell's Ridge Road. The cabin featured in the film has since burned down, though the chimney still stands.
- Morristown is where Davy Crockett grew up.[2]
- Morristown was the center of some of the more strategic battles of the Civil War [3]
- Downtown Morristown's "Overhead" Sidewalks [4]
- James "Little Man" Stewart of the Detroit Lions was raised in Morristown and played for Morristown Hamblen High School West and the University of Tennessee [5]
- Former Morristown West football standout Brandon Fanney is currently playing defensive tackle at the University of Alabama. Fanney is reported to be second string on the depth chart. [6]
[edit] Notable people of Morristown
- Ronald and Kay Flockhart, parents of Calista Flockhart, who won Golden Globe for role in "Ally McBeal"
- Shirley Hemphill - Comedic actress who starred in "What's Happening!" attended college in Morristown
- Elaine Hendrix - Award-winning actress has starred on TV and in films went to high school in Morristown
- Jane Wagner - Playwright and actress who wrote "The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe"
- John Willis - Editor-in-chief of "Theatre World" and "Screen World" [7]
- James Stewart - Pro NFL player from 1995-2003
- Davy Crockett - Pioneer
- Tim Horner - Pro Wrestler
- BJ Kramps - 5 time PBR world finalist
- Lost Truth Productions - Nationally famous film and movie production company, most notable on LiveVideo.com
- Adrian Wills - Former Professional Baseball Player for Atlanta Braves
[edit] References
Brooks, Cora Davis. "History of Morristown 1787 - 1936" 1936.
Hill, Howard. "The Morristown-Hamblen Library"
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
Morristown, Tennessee at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
