Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Tennessee (State)

TENNESSEE, a State in the South Atlantic Division of the North American Union; bounded by Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri; admitted to the Union, June 1, 1796; capital, Nashville; number of counties, 96; area, 42,050 square miles; pop. (1890) 1,767,518; (1900) 2,020,616; (1910) 2,184,789; (1920) 2,337,885.

Topography.—Topographically Tennessee is divided into three sections, east Tennessee, an extensive valley, and agriculturally one of the most important sections of the State, stretches from the E. boundary to the middle of the Cumberland tableland, which has an average elevation of 2,000 feet above the sea, and abounds in coal, iron, and other minerals. Middle Tennessee extends from the dividing line on the tableland to the lower Tennessee river; and west Tennessee from the Tennessee river to the Mississippi. The Unaka mountains, a part of the Appalachian chain, run along the E. boundary, and have an average elevation of 5,000 feet above the sea. The Mississippi, with the Tennessee and the Cumberland, drains three-fourths of the State. The two latter are navigable for a considerable distance, and other rivers with numerous tributaries supply valuable water power.

Geology.—The geological formations are varied. The Unaka range, the valley of east Tennessee and the Central basin are almost entirely occupied by Lower Silurian deposits, and the tableland of the Cumberland, by the Carboniferous. The W. portion of the State is mostly Upper Silurian and Devonian, and the plateau W. of the Tennessee, Cretaceous and Tertiary. The Mississippi river bottoms are of recent alluvial deposit.

Mineralogy.—The State is rich in its mineral resources, asbestos, kaolin, granite, copper, iron, manganese, barytes, clay, building stones, lead, and zinc being among the leading products. The most important mineral product is coal. The coal fields have an area of about 4,400 square miles. In 1919 the production was 5,150,000 tons, compared with 5,904,593 tons in 1918. The State is also an important producer of copper. The production in 1919 was 15,629,454 pounds, compared with 15,053,598 pounds in 1918. Pig iron production is about 200,000 tons annually, valued at about $2,500,000. Other mineral products of considerable importance are zinc, sandstone, marble, limestone, and clay products. The total value of the mineral products is about $25,000,000 annually. Limestone caves are found in many places, few having been explored.

Agriculture.—The soil is exceedingly fertile, nearly every agricultural product thriving well, according to locality. The principal grain crops are Indian corn, wheat, and oats; and cotton, tobacco, flax, and hemp are extensively cultivated. The rearing and fattening of live stock are carried on under peculiar advantages, and immense numbers of hogs grow up on the mast of the forests, which cover a very large area. The acreage, production, and value of the principal crops in 1919 were as follows: corn, 3,250,000 acres, production 74,750,000 bushels, value $117,358,000; oats, 400,000 acres, production 9,200,000 bushels, value $8,556,000; wheat 810,000 acres, production 7,290,000 bushels, value $16,184,000; tobacco, 110,000 acres, production 88,000,000 pounds, value $22,088,000; hay, 1,280,000 acres, production 1,792,000 tons, value $48,384,000; potatoes, 48,000 acres, production 3,120,000 bushels, value $5,366,000; cotton, 775,000 acres, 298,000 bales, value $49,915,000.

Manufactures.—In 1914 there were 4,775 manufacturing establishments in the State, employing 74,373 wage earners. The capital invested was $211,423,000; wages paid, $33,083,000; value of materials used, $123,430,000, and the value of the finished products, $212,071,000.

Banking.—On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 101 National banks in operation, having $13,809,000 in capital, $11,289,000 in outstanding circulation, and $53,914,000 in United States bonds. There were also 416 State banks, with $17,349,000 capital, and $9,148,000 surplus. The exchanges at the United States clearing houses at Memphis for the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, aggregated $975,074,000.

Transportation.—The total railway mileage in the State in 1919 was 4,227.39. The lines having the longest mileage are the Illinois Central, Louisville and Nashville, Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis, the Southern Railway, and the Tennessee Central.

Education.—School attendance is compulsory throughout the State and the employment of children under 14 years of age in workshops, factories, or mines is prohibited. Separate schools are maintained for white and colored children. There are about 7,500 public and elementary schools, with about 600,000 pupils enrolled, with about 10,000 teachers. There are about 125 public high schools, with about 500 teachers. The annual expenditure for education is about $7,000,000. There are 4 public normal schools, and 26 universities and colleges, the most important of which are the University of Chattanooga, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Fisk University (colored) at Nashville, Vanderbilt University at Nashville, Cumberland University at Nashville, and University of the South at Sewanee. There are seven colleges for women, eight commercial schools, a manual training school, and three universities for colored students.

Finance.—The receipts for the fiscal year 1918 amounted to $7,954,650, and the disbursements to $7,481,786. There was a balance in the treasury at the beginning of the year of $368,818, and at the end of the year of $841,682. The bonded debt of the State amounts to about $15,000,000, and the assessed valuation to about $575,000,000.

Charities and Corrections.—The charitable and correctional institutions are under the State board of control. The most important institutions are the State Penitentiary at Nashville, training and agricultural school for boys, industrial school and school for the blind, all at Nashville, school for deaf and dumb at Knoxville, and a vocational reformatory for girls at Tullahoma. There are three hospitals for the insane.

Churches.—The strongest denominations in the State are the Methodist Episcopal South; African Methodist; Regular Baptist, colored; Cumberland Presbyterian; Methodist Episcopal; Disciples of Christ; Roman Catholic; Presbyterian, South; Primitive Baptist; Protestant Episcopal; and Presbyterian, North.

State Government.—The governor is elected for a term of two years. Legislative sessions are held biennially and are limited in length to 75 days each. The Legislature has 33 members in the Senate and 99 in the House. There are 10 Representatives in Congress.

History.—In 1756 a settlement was formed near Knoxville, then a part of North Carolina; Nashville was settled near the close of the Revolution; in 1790 Tennessee was organized as a territory with Kentucky; and admitted in 1796 to the Union as a separate State. In January, 1861, a proposition to secede from the Union was defeated; but in June, carried by a majority of 57,567. In 10 months the State raised 50 regiments for the Southern Confederacy; while 5 or 6 were also recruited for the Union. The State was the scene, at Knoxville and Chattanooga, of some of the most important operations of the war. For years after the general pacification of the country, local disorders continued in Tennessee to disturb the tranquillity of the community, and it was only in 1870 that, after the adoption of the 15th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and of a new State constitution, Tennessee was readmitted to representation in Congress.

Copyright, L. L. Poates Eng. Co., 1921