Randolph, Tennessee
Randolph, Tennessee | |
---|---|
CDT) | |
ZIP code | 38015 (Burlison, Tennessee) |
Area code | 901 (Memphis metro area) |
FIPS code | 47-61560 |
GNIS feature ID | 1298899[2] |
Randolph is a rural
The settlement is located on the second Chickasaw Bluff, the landscape is dominated by valleys carved into the soil as a product of erosion. The surface soil is composed mostly of silt loam, derived from eroded loess, and is found in different qualities and at different stages of erosion. The stratum beneath the surface consists of glacial gravel. Randolph is situated on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a high earthquake risk. Between 1974 and 2004, forty-five earthquakes were recorded in a radius of 20 miles (32 km) around the settlement. Located in the humid subtropical climate zone, the climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters.
In 2008, Randolph Bluff Historic Park was dedicated. The park is intended to promote the Civil War history of the community and make the unique views of the Mississippi River available to a wider public. As of 2008, Randolph has a population of about 200 and consists of about two dozen dwellings. The economy of the rural community is dominated by agriculture with no major industries and businesses present. The Girl Scouts Heart of the South operates a camp at Randolph.
History
European settlement
Around 1800,
In the early 19th century, the terrain of the Chickasaw Bluffs provided promising locations for a harbor on the Mississippi River for Randolph. In 1820, the area had an estimated population of 54.[6] Early in the 1820s, investors John T. Brown and Robert Bedford were the owners of the land that would form Randolph a few years later. Only 40–50 miles (60–80 km) north of Memphis by water, they described the area as "a good landing for Mississippi River flatboats". The Hatchie River, joining the Mississippi River just north of Randolph, was accessible to steamboats upriver to Bolivar. Brown and Bedford chose the site to lay out the plan for Randolph, a promising river town.[7] The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture gives the date of Randolph's official establishment as 1823.[8] Other reports date the foundation to 1827 or 1828.[7] The settlement is named for John Randolph[8] (1773–1833), a leader in the United States Congress from Virginia.[9]
Cotton commerce
Success
Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, the topography of Randolph provided for an ideal harbor for steamboats and flatboats at all river stages. Randolph became the center of steamboat commerce in Tennessee. The town was an early rival of Memphis over commercial superiority on the Mississippi River.[8][10] In 1830, Randolph was the most important shipping point in Tennessee.[11] In the mid-1830s, Randolph shipped up to 40,000 bales of cotton on the Mississippi River every year. More cotton was shipped from Randolph than from Memphis until 1840. At the peak of its commercial success, the community was called the "great steamboat depot of West Tennessee".[8][12]
By 1829, Randolph had three commission warehouses, six dry goods stores, ten physicians and one
Decline
Year | Pop. |
---|---|
1820 | 54 |
1834 | 1,000 |
1861 | 5,000 |
2008 | 2,020 |
258 | |
Source: U.S. Decennial Census[16] |
The fortunes of Randolph declined in the later 1840s and the 1850s due to many factors, starting shortly after the establishment of the town. Five years after the settlement was founded, a dispute over the ownership of the land the town was established on, arose over a faulty land title with land owner Ann Grambelling from New York.[7][8] Until 1835, the pending lawsuit "prevented the growth of population" in and around Randolph.[12] The residents of the community bought back the land their town was founded on for $8,000 in a settlement.[7][8]
An unfavorable mail line also had an early and lasting influence on the fortunes of the town. When the mail route was established in 1829, Randolph was put at the end of a branch route of the mail line and received mail only once a week.[8][17] Failed railroad development further contributed to the demise of the town; and in 1852, residents of Randolph unsuccessfully tried to move the county seat from Covington to Randolph.[7][8] Financial depression and David Crockett's failed attempt to cut a canal from the Hatchie River to the Tennessee River also were problems that had a negative impact on the future of commercial prosperity in Randolph.[8][11] During the Civil War, the town was burned down twice, in September 1862 and again in 1865, discouraging many residents from re-building residences and businesses a second time.[8]
Civil War
Fortifications
Fort Wright was the first Confederate Army fortification built at Randolph. On January 20, 1861, the Memphis Appeal published a pro-secessionist proposal to build a fort at Randolph to defend Memphis.[18] In April 1861, Tennessee Governor Isham G. Harris ordered to establish a camp and complete the fortification at Randolph. About 5,000 troops from Tennessee, Arkansas and the Confederate Army were stationed at the location to accomplish the task.[19] By June 1861, fifty cannons were reported to be ready at Fort Wright.[20]
Nathan Bedford Forrest (1821–77) trained at Fort Wright.[21][22] Forrest and other future leaders in the Confederate States Army and the Army of Tennessee received training at Fort Wright. The fort was Tennessee's first military training camp in which soldiers could gain experience in the construction of fortifications and the setup of artillery batteries.[19] Fort Wright was the forwardmost defensive position on the Mississippi River until July 1861.[19] In 2008, only a powder magazine is left of Fort Wright.[10]
Fort Randolph, the second Confederate stronghold in the area during the Civil War, was constructed in Fall 1861.[23] The fortification was situated on the Mississippi River bluffs, about 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest of Fort Wright.[24] In a dispatch published by the New York Times in March 1862, Fort Randolph is described as a "rough and incomplete earthwork (...), more than 100 feet above the river". The position of the fortification allowed a view of the Mississippi River for 6 miles (10 km), both upstream and downstream.[23] In 2008, Fort Randolph is no longer in existence.
Destruction
In 1862, Union Army
In September 1862, the Union supply ship Eugene was fired at from Randolph. Sherman ordered to "destroy the place, leaving one house to mark the place". Union Army soldiers burned down Randolph in retaliation for the guerrilla attack. To his superior officer, General Ulysses S. Grant, Sherman reported that he had "given public notice that a repetition [of guerrilla attacks] will justify any measures of retaliation".[26] Randolph was burned down a second time by federal soldiers in 1865.[8]
Geography and climate
Geography
Randolph is located at 35°30′59″N 89°53′19″W / 35.51639°N 89.88861°W.[27] The elevation above sea level is 315 feet (96 m).[28]
The surface soil in the Randolph area is composed mostly of
Landscape
The settlement of Randolph is situated on top of the second
In the last 150 years, the general landscape around Randolph has not changed much. In 1862, the
Roads
In 1833, a
In 2008, Randolph is located near "good roads" as well as it was during the Civil War, with the exception that modern roads in the area are paved for the most part. U.S. Route 51 passes Randolph 5 miles (8 km) in the southeast and Tennessee State Route 59 (TN 59) passes 0.5 miles (800 m) southeast of the town. Four roads at county level converge at Randolph, as shown in the table below.[36] A portion of Ballard Slough Road is located in the flood plains, this segment is prone to flooding and unpaved.
County roads at Randolph connect to ... | Direction | Road name | Surface |
---|---|---|---|
Jamestown below the bluff | North | Ballard Slough Rd | partially paved |
Jamestown on top of the bluff | Northeast | Randolph Rd | fully paved |
Tennessee State Route 59 (TN 59) | Southeast | Randolph Rd | fully paved |
TN 59, continues to Drummonds and Dixonville | Southwest | Needham Rd | fully paved |
Waterways
Randolph is located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, just south of the lower mouth of the Hatchie River. In the 1820s, the Hatchie River at Randolph was accessible to steamboats for 60 miles (100 km) upriver to Bolivar in Hardeman County.[7]
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the federal agency responsible for navigable waters and flood protection, among many other peacetime and wartime tasks.[38] From 2005 to 2007, the USACE spent $9,773,662 to ensure the navigation of the Mississippi River at Randolph for boats and barges and to provide flood protection for the immediately surrounding areas of the town. Contracts include surveying and mapping, engineering and construction, as well as tasks related to conservation and development of the Mississippi River and the river basin at Randolph.[39] Maintenance related projects include dredging of the navigable channel of the Mississippi River at Randolph to remove sedimented sand and mud.[40] Tasks related to conservation include dike construction to protect low-lying areas at Randolph from flooding and subsequent erosion.[41] The Navigation Bulletin No. 2, issued by the USACE in 2006, describes a stone dike construction at Randolph with an approximate elevation of 25 feet (7.6 m) at river mile 770L.[37]
Earthquakes
Located on the southeastern edge of the
On January 16, 2009, at 3:09
Climate
Randolph is located in a
Climate data for Randolph, Tennessee | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 46 (8) |
52 (11) |
61 (16) |
71 (22) |
80 (27) |
88 (31) |
91 (33) |
90 (32) |
84 (29) |
74 (23) |
61 (16) |
50 (10) |
71 (22) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 28 (−2) |
32 (0) |
40 (4) |
49 (9) |
58 (14) |
66 (19) |
70 (21) |
67 (19) |
60 (16) |
49 (9) |
40 (4) |
31 (−1) |
49 (9) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.21 (107) |
4.27 (108) |
5.41 (137) |
5.34 (136) |
5.22 (133) |
4.20 (107) |
4.13 (105) |
2.75 (70) |
3.62 (92) |
3.26 (83) |
5.28 (134) |
5.61 (142) |
53.3 (1,354) |
Source: The Weather Channel[51] |
Economy
Agriculture is the predominating source of income in the area surrounding Randolph, especially the
In 2008, Randolph has a population of c. 200,[53] and consists of about two dozen dwellings. The economy of the rural community is dominated by agriculture with no major industries and businesses present.
Culture
Churches
Randolph United Methodist Church
In 1834,
The United Methodist Church at Randolph had 78 pastors as of 1983.[54] In 2008, Reverend Thomas M. Yoder and Reverend Ben Rainey are the appointed pastors at the Randolph Methodist community. Randolph United Methodist Church is located at 98 Ballard Slough Road. The worship attendance for the church is reported as 76 members of the congregation on the average.[55]
Randolph Assembly of God
Randolph Assembly of God is a second place of worship in the town; the church was founded in 2001. In 2008, the congregation is led by Pastor Larry Rose and Pastor Frank Russell. Randolph Assembly of God is located at 1135 Randolph Road.[56][57]
Randolph Bluff Historic Park
On October 11, 2008, the
Girl Scouts Heart of the South
Girl Scouts Heart of the South is a girl scout organization serving 16,500 girls in the Memphis metropolitan area, including counties in West Tennessee, North Mississippi and Crittenden County, Arkansas. Girl Scouts Heart of the South operates six camps and one training center in their area of coverage, including a 104 acres (420,000 m2) property in Tipton County, "Camp Annemeekee".[60] The scout camp is located on Girl Scout Road south of Randolph.[36]
Cemeteries
- Old Randolph Cemetery is at coordinates 35°31′25″N 89°53′08″W / 35.523693°N 89.885643°W.[61]
- Historic Randolph Cemetery is on McClerkin Lane at coordinates 35°31′18″N 89°52′45″W / 35.52163°N 89.87909°W.[62] Graves in the cemetery date from the early 19th century to present day.
Postal
A post office was established at Randolph in 1827.[63] The Randolph Post Office was in operation until 1932.[63] The exact location of the post office at Randolph is unknown.[64]
In 2008, the U.S.
Notable natives
- William Clyde Martin (1893–1984), a bishop of three Methodist churches, born in Randolph on July 28, 1893.[67][68]
See also
- Chickasaw Bluff
- Chickasaw Wars
- Fort Pillow State Park
- Location of Fort Randolph and Fort Wright
- Nathan Bedford Forrest
- New Madrid Seismic Zone
- Steamboats of the Mississippi
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Randolph, Tennessee
- ^ "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ "Jackson Purchase". excerpt from The Kentucky Encyclopedia edited by John E. Kleber. 1992. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
- ^ "Treaties". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Archived from the original on May 12, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
- ^
Finger, John R. (2001). Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition. ISBN 0-253-33985-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Magness, Perre (September 15, 1988). "Randolph dominated early river towns". Memphis, Tennessee: The Commercial Appeal. p. N2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "TN Encyclopedia: Tipton County". The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
- ^ Adams, Henry (1898). John Randolph. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton, Mifflin and Company.
- ^ a b "Covington-Tipton County Community Guide". Covington, Tennessee: Tipton County Chamber of Commerce. 2005.
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- ^ a b c d e f Phelan, James (1888). History of Tennessee: The Making of a State. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. pp. 307–308, 313.
- ^ "Newspapers on Microfilm at TSLA". Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
- ^ a b Pratt, Mildred (January 13, 1986). "McLean County Museum of History - Robert & Lillian Boykin (Transcription of Oral History)". McLean County Museum of History, Bloomington, Illinois. Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
- ^ "Runaway Slave Blog". Transcription of microfilm documents, incl. the Randolph Recorder (1834-1836). Naomi Van Tol. 2006. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ "memphisRegion.com - History of the region" (PDF). Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- ^ "Pro-secessionist proposal to construct a fort at Randolph, Tennessee, on the Mississippi River" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
- ^ a b c "TN Encyclopedia: Fort Wright". The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Archived from the original on June 10, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
- ISBN 1-84603-194-X.
- ^ From an address by General J.R. Charlmers in 1879. "Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest And His Campaigns". Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. VII. Richmond, Virginia, October 1879, No. 10. Southern Historical Society Papers. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
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- ^ a b c d Foote, A. H. (March 5, 1862). "The Evacuation of Columbus. The Town Reduced to a Heap of Ruins by the Rebels. Their Retreat to Fort Randolph (...) - (Dispatch from Flag-Officer Foote)" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
- ^ "Tennessee Places, Fort Randolph (historical)". eachTown.com. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
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- ^ a b "William T. Sherman's First Campaign of Destruction". HistoryNet.com. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
- ^ "Randolph Map". MapLandia.com. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
- ^ "Randolph Tennessee profile". EpoDunk.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
- ^ a b "Web Soil Survey". United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- ^ Percentages derived from the USDA soil survey represent ca. 6,700 acres (27 km2), centered approximately at Randolph United Methodist Church. Area covered by water excludes the Mississippi River
- S2CID 131245730.
- ISBN 0-934426-42-2.
- ^ "Old Randolph Rd, Memphis, Tennessee". Google Maps. Retrieved March 26, 2009.
- ^ "Personal Property Report Card - Fullen Dock & Warehouse, Inc". Shelby County Assessor of Property. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
- ^ "Fullen Dock & Warehouse, Inc". Fullen Dock & Warehouse, Inc. Archived from the original on September 30, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "Tipton County, TN Highway Map" (PDF). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 1, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
- ^ "US Army Corps of Engineers". United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Retrieved January 14, 2009.
- ^ "Randolph, Tennessee (Tipton County) - Government Contracts - Defense Contracts by Place of Performance for 2007". GovernmentContractswon.com. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
- ^ "Luhr Bros., Inc. (L.B.I.) Jobsites". Columbia, Illinois: Luhr Bros., Inc. - Contractors. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- ^ "United States Army Corps of Engineers - Contracting - View Solicitation". United States Army Corps of Engineers, Memphis District. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- ^ a b "The Mississippi Valley - "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"". United States Geological Survey (USGS). Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
- ^ "Mississippi River Project - A Seismic Experiment in the Mississippi River Embayment: Day 5 (Randolph Landing and Shelby Forest)". Memphis, Tennessee: The University of Memphis. 2008. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
- ^ a b c "New Madrid Earthquake Catalog Search". Seismic Data from CERI. Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI). Retrieved February 18, 2009.
- ^ Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) - New Madrid Earthquake Catalog Search Results of a radial search centered at latitude 35.5166 and longitude -89.8886 with a search radius of 16 km (ca. 10 mi).
- ^ Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) - New Madrid Earthquake Catalog Search Results of a radial search centered at latitude 35.5166 and longitude -89.8886 with a search radius of 32 km (ca. 20 mi).
- ^ a b "Tennessee Department of Transportation". Tennessee Department of Transportation, Gerald Nicely, Commissioner. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
- ^ "Small earthquake reported near Covington: Local News". The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee. January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
- ^ a b "Recent Earthquakes in Central U.S. - Magnitude 2.8 - Tennessee". Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI). January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
- ISBN 0-7230-0492-7.
- ^ a b "Monthly Averages for Randolph, Tennessee (measured at Burlison)". The Weather Channel. 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
- ^ "13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Primary Documents of American History (Virtual Programs & Services, Library of Congress)". The Library of Congress, Digital Reference Section. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
- ^ a b "Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation dedicates Randolph Bluff Historic Park in Tipton County". The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Randolph United Methodist Church". Historical Marker at Randolph United Methodist Church. Randolph, Tennessee: Erected by the Memphis Commission on Archives and History. 1983.
- ^ "Meet the people of Randolph United Methodist Church". The United Methodist Church. 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
- ^ "Tennessee Church Directory". Tennessee District Assemblies of God. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
- ^ "Randolph Assembly of God". Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
- ^ "Friends of Our Riverfront: Randolph - 2nd Chickasaw Bluff Protected & Dedicated as a Park". Friends of Our Riverfront, Memphis, Tennessee. January 13, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2009.
- ^ "Good looks: Conservation efforts making a scene of Mississippi's bluff-top vistas". The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
- ^ "Girl Scouts Heart of the South". Girl Scouts Heart of the South, Memphis, Tennessee. 2008. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
- ^ "Old Randolph Cemetery, Tipton Co. TN". TNGenWeb. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
- ^ "Historic Randolph Cemetery". Google Maps. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
- ^ a b Wade, William J. (1949). Notes on Randolph, TN. Memphis, Tennessee.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Randolph Post Office (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
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- ^ Walter N. Vernon (2008). "Handbook of Texas Online - Martin, William Clyde". Texas State Historical Association, distributed in partnership with the University of North Texas. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
- ^ Howell, Clinton T. (1945). Prominent Personalities in American Methodism. Birmingham, Alabama: The Lowry Press.