Erwin, Tennessee
Erwin | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 47-24360[7] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 1328148[8] | |
Website | erwintn.org |
Erwin is a town in and the
History
The town of Erwin received its name by a mail mishap. On December 5, 1879, the name of the town was Ervin, in honor of D.J.N. Ervin, who had donated 15 acres (61,000 m2) of land for the county seat. A typo made by post office officials caused the name to be recorded as Erwin. The mistake was never corrected.[citation needed]
Erwin earned some notoriety in 1916 when the only known public
Between 1916 and 1957, the Southern Potteries plant operated in Erwin along Ohio Avenue. The plant produced a hand-painted dishware known as Blue Ridge that became popular nationwide in the late 1930s and 1940s.[citation needed] Blue Ridge pieces are still popular items with collectors of antique dishware.[citation needed]
In 1918, a group of its white citizens committed an inhumane “banishment," a violent incident that involved the murder of a black man and the violent, forcible eviction of all other black citizens from the town by a white mob.[16] In the 20th century, the town was considered a sundown town.[17]
Geography
Erwin is located at 36°8′42″N 82°24′39″W / 36.14500°N 82.41083°W (36.145036, -82.410796),[18] The town is situated in a valley at the confluence of North Indian Creek, which approaches from the northeast, and the Nolichucky River, which enters the valley from the mountains to the southeast. Just before reaching Erwin, the Nolichucky passes through a narrow gorge popular with whitewater rafters.
Erwin is surrounded by the
The Appalachian Trail passes east of Erwin. The trail crosses the Nolichucky near the western end of the Nolichucky Gorge, at a place known as Unaka Springs. Nearby is "Moaning Rock", a large boulder near the trail that is supposed to be the site of a long ago murder of a stranger. According to local lore, the murdered man's spirit is still around, and if anyone stands on or even touches the rock, "...it moans as if under a heavy burden."[19]
Interstate 26 passes through western and southern Erwin. Tennessee State Route 107 (North Main Avenue) connects Erwin to Unicoi to the north and the Embreeville area and Washington County to the west. Tennessee State Route 395 connects Erwin with the rural parts of Mitchell and Yancey counties to the east in North Carolina, crossing the Unakas at the 3,100-foot (940 m) Indian Grave Gap (the road becomes North Carolina Highway 197 at the state line).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2), of which 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) is land and 0.28% is water.
Climate
Climate data for Erwin 1 W, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1979–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) |
82 (28) |
85 (29) |
90 (32) |
91 (33) |
101 (38) |
102 (39) |
101 (38) |
98 (37) |
92 (33) |
84 (29) |
78 (26) |
102 (39) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 47.3 (8.5) |
50.8 (10.4) |
58.7 (14.8) |
68.4 (20.2) |
76.2 (24.6) |
82.8 (28.2) |
85.4 (29.7) |
84.9 (29.4) |
80.2 (26.8) |
69.9 (21.1) |
58.9 (14.9) |
50.3 (10.2) |
67.8 (19.9) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 35.9 (2.2) |
38.9 (3.8) |
45.8 (7.7) |
54.5 (12.5) |
63.0 (17.2) |
70.5 (21.4) |
73.8 (23.2) |
73.0 (22.8) |
67.6 (19.8) |
56.6 (13.7) |
45.7 (7.6) |
39.1 (3.9) |
55.4 (13.0) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24.5 (−4.2) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
33.0 (0.6) |
40.7 (4.8) |
49.8 (9.9) |
58.1 (14.5) |
62.2 (16.8) |
61.1 (16.2) |
55.0 (12.8) |
43.3 (6.3) |
32.5 (0.3) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
42.9 (6.1) |
Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−11 (−24) |
−5 (−21) |
19 (−7) |
24 (−4) |
37 (3) |
45 (7) |
45 (7) |
31 (−1) |
22 (−6) |
12 (−11) |
−5 (−21) |
−20 (−29) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.46 (88) |
3.27 (83) |
3.82 (97) |
3.99 (101) |
4.83 (123) |
5.07 (129) |
5.51 (140) |
4.76 (121) |
3.28 (83) |
2.54 (65) |
2.83 (72) |
3.64 (92) |
47.00 (1,194) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.4 (8.6) |
2.5 (6.4) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
2.4 (6.1) |
9.3 (24) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 12.0 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 10.9 | 13.4 | 13.3 | 13.8 | 12.3 | 9.6 | 8.4 | 9.3 | 11.6 | 137.5 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 6.0 |
Source: |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 1,149 | — | |
1920 | 2,965 | 158.1% | |
1930 | 3,623 | 22.2% | |
1940 | 3,350 | −7.5% | |
1950 | 3,387 | 1.1% | |
1960 | 3,210 | −5.2% | |
1970 | 4,715 | 46.9% | |
1980 | 4,739 | 0.5% | |
1990 | 5,015 | 5.8% | |
2000 | 5,610 | 11.9% | |
2010 | 6,097 | 8.7% | |
2020 | 6,083 | −0.2% | |
Sources:[22][23][6] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
5,417 | 89.05% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
19 | 0.31% |
Native American
|
10 | 0.16% |
Asian
|
11 | 0.18% |
Other/Mixed
|
185 | 3.04% |
Latino
|
441 | 7.25% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,083 people, 2,657 households, and 1,632 families residing in the town.
2000 census
At the
Of the 2,470 households 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 33.6% of households were one person and 18.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.80.
The age distribution was 19.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males.[25]
The median household income was $29,644 and the median family income was $37,813. Males had a median income of $31,894 versus $20,118 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,868. About 7.5% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the
Economy and culture
Erwin was host to a
Sports
In 1940, the city hosted a
References
- ^ "Homepage". Town of Erwin. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ a b James A. Goforth, Erwin, Tennessee: A Pictorial History 1891–1929 (Overmountain Press, 2004), pp. 1-3.
- ^ Tennessee Blue Book, 2005-2006, pp. 618-625.
- ^ A. Christine Tipton, "Town of Erwin, Erwin official website, 2011. Retrieved: April 19, 2013.
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "From the Archive: The Day They Hanged an Elephant in East Tennessee". June 17, 2017.
- ^ "Murderous Mary, the elephant that was hanged for murder, 1916 - Rare Historical Photos". August 16, 2016.
- ^ a b Emma Schkloven (November 13, 2019). "E.C. Glass brings bizarre true story to the stage in 'Elephant's Graveyard'". The News & Advance.
- ^ "Elephant's Graveyard (full length version)". Samuel French.
- ^ Cory Turner & Clare Lombardo (May 15, 2019). "The Town That Hanged An Elephant Is Now Working To Save Them" (Audio with transcript and photos). All Things Considered / NPR.
- ^ "Big Mary the Elephant". Roadside America. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Russell, Carrie Archie (August 5, 2010). "Reckoning with a Violent and Lawless Past: A Study of Race, Violence and Reconciliation in Tennessee" (PDF).
- ^ Loewen, James. "Showing Erwin in TN". Sundown Towns in the United States. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ Perry, Tristan. Ghostly Legends of the Appalachian Trail. Wever, Iowa: Quixote Press, 2008. Pages 19-30.
- ^ "NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ "Station: Erwin 1 W, TN". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
- ^ "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ "Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000". American FactFinder. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- ^ a b Public Health Assessment, Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., Erwin, Unicoi County, Tennessee; EPA FACILITY ID: TND003095635, Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, May 29, 2007
- ^ a b "Erwin, Tennessee Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "1943 Appalachian League Standings". Stats Crew. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Town charter Archived January 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- Erwin, Tennessee at Curlie