The Jackson Purchase, also known as the Purchase Region or simply the Purchase, is a region in the U.S. state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and the Tennessee River to the east.

History

Origin

The land was ceded after prolonged negotiations with the Chickasaw Indians in which the United States was represented by Andrew Jackson and Isaac Shelby, while the Chickasaws were represented by their chiefs, head men, and warriors including: Levi Colbert, his brother George Colbert, Chinubby, and Tishomingo. On October 19, 1818, the two sides agreed to the transfer by signing the Treaty of Tuscaloosa.

After statehood

Although claimed as part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until 1818, when General Andrew Jackson and ex-Kentucky governor Isaac Shelby, representing the United States federal government, purchased it from the Chickasaw nation through several treaties, including the Treaty of Tuscaloosa.

In 1907, Fulton County judge Herbert Carr declared in a speech that the Mayfield Convention adopted a resolution for secession, and a historical marker in front of the courthouse also proclaims this as fact. But, the surviving records of the meeting, authored by a Union sympathizer, make no mention of this resolution. Historian Berry Craig states that the convention believed the whole of Kentucky would eventually secede and make unnecessary a separate resolution for the Purchase to break away.

Records do show that the convention adopted resolutions condemning President Abraham Lincoln for "waging a bloody and cruel war" against the South, urging Governor Beriah Magoffin to resist Union forces and praising him for refusing to answer Lincoln's call for soldiers, and condemning the provision of "Lincoln guns" to Union sympathizers in Kentucky. The convention nominated Henry Burnett to represent Kentucky's First District in Congress. The Mayfield Convention was a precursor to the later Russellville Convention, that formed the provisional Confederate government of Kentucky.

thumb|Kentucky congressional districts as of 2023

Since the late 20th century, the Purchase has voted for Republicans in national elections while giving higher percentages to candidates of the Democratic Party in state and local elections. This trend is similar to realignment among white conservatives in other parts of the South. , however, the region's delegation in the Kentucky General Assembly included both Republican Party and Democratic Party representatives. For the first time in history, the region elected Republicans for both of its two state senators. The Jackson Purchase is within Kentucky's 1st congressional district.

Geography

The Purchase comprised what is now eight counties, with a combined land area of 3,394.8 square miles (6,202.5&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), about 6.03% of Kentucky's land area. Its 2010 census population was 196,365 inhabitants, equal to 4.53% of the state's population. Paducah, the largest city and main economic center, has just over 25,000 residents. The region's other two largest cities, Murray and Mayfield, have about 18,000 and 10,000 residents respectively. The main educational institution is Murray State University.

Counties

  • Ballard County
  • Calloway County
  • Carlisle County
  • Fulton County
  • Graves County
  • Hickman County
  • Marshall County
  • McCracken County

Largest municipalities

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

!Rank

!Name

!Population

! data-sort-type="number"|Area

!County

!Inc.

|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"

| 1

| Paducah†

| 27,137

|

| McCracken

| 1838

|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"

| 2

| Murray†

| 17,307

|

| Calloway

| January 17, 1844

|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"

| 3

| Mayfield†

| 10,017

|

| Graves

| 1846

|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"

| 4

| Benton†

| 4,756

|

| Marshall

| 1845

|-

| 5

| Calvert City

| 2,514

|

| Marshall

| March 18, 1871

|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"

| 6

| Hickman†

| 2,365

|

| Fulton

| February 18, 1841

|-

| 7

| Fulton

| 2,357

|

| Fulton

| 1872

|-

|8

| Clinton

| 1,222

|

| Hickman

| 1831

|-

| 9

| LaCenter

| 872

|

| Ballard

|

|- style="background-color:#b4ddb4;"

| 10

| Bardwell†

| 714

|

| Carlisle

| 1878

|}

Economy

Though chiefly an agricultural economy, tourism is an important industry in the Purchase, focused chiefly on water-related activities at the TVA-created Kentucky Lake. Together with the portion of the Tennessee River north of Kentucky Dam, it forms the eastern border of the Purchase.

Notable people

Notable people from the region include:

  • Alben W. Barkley, Vice President of the United States, 1949–1953
  • Julian Carroll, 54th Governor of Kentucky, 1974–1979
  • Steven Curtis Chapman, Christian music artist
  • Irvin Cobb, humorist and author
  • Jackie DeShannon, singer/songwriter
  • Steve Finley, major league baseball player, 1989–2007
  • Joe Fulks, basketball player
  • Robert H. Grubbs, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, 2005
  • Lloyd Tilghman, Confederate general
  • Harry Lee Waterfield, lieutenant governor of Kentucky, 1955–1959 and 1963–1967

See also

References

Further reading

  • classic guide from the Federal Writers Project; covers main themes and describes every town and feature, with capsule histories
  • Jackson Purchase Historical Society