Waverly, Tennessee

Waverly is a city in and the county seat of Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,297 at the 2020 census.

History

Waverly was established by Steven Pavatt as a stop along the stagecoach road between Nashville and Memphis in the early 19th century. Pavatt was a fan of the author Sir Walter Scott, and named the community after Scott's Waverley Novels. When Humphreys County was created in 1803, Reynoldsburg, located northwest of Waverly along the Tennessee River, was chosen as the county seat. However, when county lands on the west bank of the Tennessee split off to become part of the newly created Benton County in 1835, the Humphreys County seat was moved to Waverly, which had become the more central location in the county. A courthouse was built in 1836, and the town was officially incorporated in 1838.

left|210px|thumb|THC marker in Waverly recalling the now-defunct town of Reynoldsburg

Like most of Middle and West Tennessee, Waverly was staunchly pro-Confederacy during the American Civil War. Humphreys County voted unanimously in favor of secession in 1861. Union troops occupied the town in 1863 to guard the railroad between White Bluff and Johnsonville (now Old Johnsonville), the latter being a Federal supply depot and transfer station. The Union troops managed to build a fort at the courthouse square, although they were constantly harassed by Confederate guerillas. On November 4, 1864, Confederate troops under Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked and destroyed the Federal depot in what became known as the Battle of Johnsonville. and a farm owned by Jesse James were both located near the Link farm site in the vicinity of Hurricane Mills. It also led to various strengthened standards and regulations (e.g., for design and construction of rail cars) by the National Transportation Safety Board.

During the morning of August 21, 2021, very heavy rainfall and totals of over caused Trace Creek to overflow in the middle of town, leading to catastrophic flooding in Waverly. Floodwaters impacted many homes and businesses, electric, telephone, and water services, churches, and Waverly Elementary School. Many structures were flooded with up to of water, with numerous homes washed completely off their foundations. All roads in and out of town were made impassable, and 20 people were killed in Humphreys County.

Geography

Waverly is located at (36.085847, −87.786917). The city is situated in the Trace Creek Valley, just over east of the creek's confluence with the Kentucky Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River. The low ridges that "wall in" Waverly to the north and south represent the fringe of the western section of the Highland Rim.

Waverly is centered on the junction of U.S. Route 70, which connects the city to Nashville to the east and Memphis to the west, and State Route 13, which connects the city to Hurricane Mills and Interstate 40 to the south and the rural areas around Erin to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Waverly had a population of 4,297, along with 1,743 households and 939 families. The median age was 40.8 years; 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.8 males age 18 and over.

There were 1,743 households in Waverly, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.9% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 3,718 || 86.5%

| Black or African American || 284 || 6.6%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 12 || 0.3%

| Asian || 23 || 0.5%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 42 || 1.0%

| Two or more races || 218 || 5.1%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 144 || 3.4%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,105 people with a population density of . There were 1,877 housing units at an average density of .

George Morgan, country music singer
Daryl Mosley, singer, musician, and songwriter.

References

External links

City of Waverly official website
Humphreys County Chamber of Commerce