Brownsville, Tennessee

Brownsville is a city in and the county seat of Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. Its population as of the 2020 census was 9,788. The city is named after General Jacob Jennings Brown, an American officer of the War of 1812.

History

Brownsville was a trading center that developed in association with cotton plantations and commodity agriculture in the lowlying Delta of the Mississippi River around Memphis, Tennessee and West Tennessee. It is located north of the Hatchie River, a tributary of the Mississippi, which originally served as the main transportation routes to markets for cotton. The land was developed by planters for cotton plantations and worked by large numbers of enslaved persons of African ancestry, who made up a majority of the town and county population.

Early history and settlers

Brownsville was designated the county seat of Haywood County by the legislature on October, 16, 1824, and the town was legally incorporated in 1826.

James Bond arrived in Brownsville in 1836 and acted as a benefactor for many of the city's institutions. Bond owned in excess of 17,000 acres in Haywood County alone and owned as many as 600 slaves. He provided the land for the establishment of both Brownsville Baptist Female College in 1850 and Brownsville Baptist Church in 1870. He also invested heavily in various mercantile ventures in Brownsville and the Memphis and Ohio Railroad, which would connect Haywood County to Memphis upon its completion.

In the mid to late 19th century, German Jewish immigrants also settled in Brownsville. They founded a congregation in the 1860s, and built Temple Adas Israel in 1882. and is a rare example of a synagogue built in the Gothic Revival style.

The town is notable for its many well-preserved homes owned by wealthy planters before the Civil War, and multi-generational family-owned farms. Notable among these include James Bond's home, which was moved to nearby Dyersburg in 1975, the Eader House, constructed in 1865, which is now used as an event venue, Lucerne, a former plantation, constructed in 1855, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Joshua K. Hutchison House, also on the National Register of Historic Places. The company remained in Brownsville until May 12, 1862, when they were ordered to report to Fort Pillow, staying there until the fort's fall, and then were ordered to report to Colonel William Hicks Jackson. In the fall of 1862, Taylor resigned as captain citing ill health and thus Duckworth was made captain in spring 1863. They continued under this regiment until the end of the war, when it was surrendered by Nathan Bedford Forrest in May 1865.

Following President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, a known 112 African Americans of Brownsville and Haywood County joined the Union Army across 20 different regiments, primarily the 3rd Regiment Heavy Artillery USCT and the 4th Regiment Heavy Artillery USCT. In addition, the area also produced one dedicated unit for the Union Army, a company for the 13th Cavalry. a monument dedicated solely to the Confederate dead was erected in 1909. There have since been calls to see the monuments removal, but no action has been taken by the county.

Numerous notable Brownsville residents fought in the conflict

Alsey Hugh Bradford, member of the school board and son of the above mentioned Hiram Bradford, was a colonel in the 31st Tennessee Infantry for the Confederacy
Hiram Bradford, was a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army
George C. Porter, state senator, was a colonel in the Confederacy's 6th Tennessee Infantry

Lynchings

From the late 19th into the early 20th century, whites lynched three African-American men in Brownsville, two in the 20th century.

In 1939, with Haywood County's black majority disenfranchised, a number of blacks in Brownsville founded a local NAACP chapter. They worked to assert their right to register and vote in the presidential election of 1940. In June 1940 threats were made against the group, and Elisha Davis was kidnapped by a large white mob. They demanded the names of NAACP members and their plans. He fled town, followed by his family, losing his successful service station and all their property.

On June 20, 1940, Elbert Williams, secretary of the NAACP chapter, and Elisha's brother Thomas Davis were questioned by police. Thomas Davis was released, Several other NAACP members were run out of town by police, fearing for their lives.

Thurgood Marshall of the NAACP conducted an investigation of Williams' murder and appealed to the Department of Justice to prosecute the case, providing affidavits of witnesses. FBI agents were sent to the town in September to protect blacks wanting to register to vote, but the local people were fearful because there had been no prosecution of Williams' killers. In October 1940, The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP, reported that no blacks registered to vote. Thomas Davis and his family moved North and resettled in Niles, Michigan. U.S. Routes 70 and 79 form a bypass around the southern and eastern sides of the city. US 79 leads northeast to Humboldt, while US 70 leads east to Jackson. The two highways together lead southwest to Memphis. Interstate 40 passes south of Brownsville, coming closest at exits 56 and 60, where it is south of downtown.

Brownsville is situated on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a high earthquake risk.

The Hatchie River passes south of Brownsville. It is the longest free-flowing tributary of the lower Mississippi, and contains the largest forested floodplain in Tennessee. The river is home to hundreds of species of fish, including 11 species of catfish, and the alligator snapping turtle. The Hatchie River was named by the Nature Conservancy as one of the "great places" to save. The Hatchie is designated as a "scenic river" under the Tennessee Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Brownsville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Brownsville city, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|3,799

|3,056

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,427

|35.35%

|29.69%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |24.80%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|6,496

|6,631

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,507

|60.44%

|64.43%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |66.48%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|17

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18

|0.08%

|0.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.18%

|Asian alone (NH)

|11

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16

|0.10%

|0.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4

|0.01%

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%

|Other race alone (NH)

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |34

|0.01%

|0.14%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.35%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|43

|82

|style='background: #ffffe6; |201

|0.40%

|0.80%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.05%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|388

|481

|style='background: #ffffe6; |581

|3.61%

|4.67%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.94%

|Total

|10,748

|10,292

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,788

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Brownsville had a population of 9,788, 4,134 households, and 2,428 families residing in the city. 98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.

The median age was 38.9 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 80.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 74.5 males age 18 and over.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 2,509 || 25.6%

| Black or African American || 6,530 || 66.7%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 40 || 0.4%

| Asian || 16 || 0.2%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 7 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 382 || 3.9%

| Two or more races || 304 || 3.1%

2000 census

As of the census The school system also operates the Haywood County Virtual Academy for students between kindergarten and eight grade, as well as the Students Options Academy, an alternative learning center. Additionally, the University of Tennessee system operates an Institute of Agriculture extension in Brownsville in collaboration with an extension from Tennessee State University's College of Agriculture.

In the past, Brownsville was home to institutes of higher education. The Brownsville Female Seminary was founded in 1842 by Presbyterian settlers. The Brownsville Baptist Female College was established in 1850 by the Tennessee Baptist Convention and opened in 1851. This was the only one of 18 colleges within a 60 mile radius of Brownsville to survive the Civil War. There were a limited number of male graduates of this female college, but among them was future governor of Missouri Joseph Folk. Former president of Wake Forest College John Brown White served as president of the Brownsville Baptist Female College briefly until 1855. This college survived until 1897 and the campus remained empty until 1911, when it was purchased by the county to house Haywood High School, which remained there until the opening of the current location in 1970. Organized in 1869, the Wesleyan Female College was formed, offering courses in languages, music, and other academic disciplines. Wesleyan survived until the 1890s, when it was closed by its trustees, and thereafter became the home of the Ogilvie Training School for Boys. Also in the late 19th century, Brownsville Public School was opened, operating as a grammar school and offering high school courses until the establishment of Haywood High School. This school building was destroyed by a fire in the late 1920s. Haywood County Memorial Hospital was built in its place and served the community between 1931 and 1974, before being replaced by Haywood Park General Hospital.

Brownsville's only local newspaper is the Brownsville States-Graphic. The States-Graphic was formed by a merger between The States Democrat and The Graphic in 1900. The States Democrat itself was formed from a merger of The States and The Democrat in 1886. The first newspaper to be printed in Brownsville was The Phoenix in 1837. This paper was used primarily to print partisan papers during political campaigns. Located alongside the Tina Turner Museum is the relocated childhood home of local blues musician Sleepy John Estes.

The Ann L. Marks Performing Arts Center is located in the College Hill Historic District. The theater is named for local writer Ann Liberman Marks, who made substantial contributions to the arts during her lifetime. The theater houses 420 attendees and was built in 1920. The theater was damaged by a storm in 2020, but reopened after renovations on January 11, 2024.

Brownsville is home to The Mindfield, the largest sculpture in Tennessee. It has been single-handedly constructed by local author and artist Billy Tripp every year since 1989. The sculpture is 127 feet at its tallest and approximately 300 feet in length.

In 2017, construction was completed on an amphitheater in downtown Brownsville. The venue plays host to numerous events, including concerts, fundraisers, and public celebrations. Free weekly concerts are held regularly in the summer to showcase local talent.

Brownsville was previously home to a spacious three-story opera house. This venue saw many traveling companies throughout the years, and also hosted various local programs, talent shows, and dances. Notable performances at the opera house were done by W. C. Handy and John Philip Sousa. The opera house was destroyed by a fire that had started in a restaurant nearby in December of 1931.

Notable people

Henry Whitelaw Bond (1848–1919), justice of the Missouri Supreme Court
William W. Bond (1884–1975), lawyer and Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives
Son Bonds (1909–1947), country blues musician
Vic Bradford (1915–1994), Major League Baseball outfielder
Patsy Bruce (1940–2021), country-western songwriter
Paul Burlison (1929–2003), rockabilly pioneer, guitarist, member of The Rock and Roll Trio
Tony Delk (born 1974), basketball player and coach, graduated from Haywood High School
Pat Estes (1872–1947), attorney and college football player
Clay Evans (1925–2019), gospel singer, pastor and founder of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois
Rockey Felker (born 1953), football player and coach
Joseph Folk (1869–1923), Circuit Attorney of the city of St. Louis, later 31st governor of Missouri
Alfred A. Freeman (1838–1926), politician and judge, candidate for governor in 1872
Richard Halliburton (1900–1939), adventurer and author
Thomas J. Henderson (1824–1911), United States Representative from Illinois and Union officer
Eugene Holmes (1932–2007), opera singer
Trell Hooper (born 1961), former professional football defensive back
Miles Vandahurst Lynk (1871–1956), founder, editor and publisher of Medical and Surgical Observer, the first medical journal issued by an African American
Edith Mitchell (1947–2024), oncologist and brigadier general of the United States Air Force
Corey Moore (born 1974), professional football player
Hambone Willie Newbern (1901–1965), country blues musician
Hammie Nixon (1908–1984), blues musician, son-in-law of Sleepy John Estes
David A. Nunn (1833–1918), member of the United States House of Representatives
Jimmy Oldham (1893–1930), Negro League pitcher
Yank Rachell (1910–1997), country blues musician
Brett Scallions (born 1971), frontman of the band Fuel
Geneva Smitherman, Professor Emerita of English and co-founder of the African American and African Studies doctoral program at Michigan State University
Harold M. Shaw (1877–1926), silent film director, screenwriter, and actor
Nettie Barcroft Taylor (1914–2016), state librarian of Maryland
Polk Taylor (1833–1934), Methodist minister
Quintard Taylor (born 1948), historian and founder of BlackPast.org
Zachary Taylor (1849–1921), member of the United States House of Representatives
Jim Thaxton (born 1949), football player
Billy Tripp (born 1955), author and artist
Tina Turner (1939–2023), singer and actress,
Jarvis Varnado (born 1988), professional basketball player, NCAA all-time career blocks leader as a member of the Mississippi State Bulldogs
Dwight Waller (1945–2021), professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Rockets
T. I. Webb Jr. (1880–1975), golfer
Elbert Williams (1908–1940), African-American civil rights activist, lived in Brownsville and was lynched there in 1940
William Ridley Wills (1871–1949), Founder of National Life and Accident Insurance Company
William Ridley Wills (1897–1957), American poet, novelist, newspaperman, nephew of the above

In popular culture

Brownsville is mentioned in the song "Delta Dawn". The song's writer, Alex Harvey, was from Haywood County.
Some scenes of the 1970 film The Liberation of L.B. Jones were shot in Brownsville, most notably at the now defunct train station.
Multiple scenes in the 1992 television film Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story were shot in Brownsville. The scenes were filmed in the pool hall and on College Street.