McMinn County, Tennessee
McMinn County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in East Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,794. The county has a total area of 432 square miles (1,120 km2). Most of the county is within the Ridge and Valley area of the Appalachian Mountains. Its county seat is Athens. McMinn County, along with Meigs County comprises the Athens, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.
McMinn County
United States
1819
Athens
432 sq mi (1,120 km2)
430 sq mi (1,100 km2)
2.1 sq mi (5 km2) 0.5%
53,794 
125.10/sq mi (48.30/km2)
History[edit]
McMinn County was created in 1819 from Indian lands and was named in honor of Joseph McMinn (1758–1824).[1] McMinn was a militia commander during the Revolutionary War, a member of the territorial legislature, speaker of the state senate, and eventually governor of the state of Tennessee. McMinn died on October 17, 1824, and is buried at Shiloh Presbyterian Cemetery in Calhoun.[2]
The first railroad in East Tennessee, the Hiwassee Railroad, began construction in McMinn County in the late 1830s, but was halted due to financial difficulties. Work was resumed by the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad (ET&G) in 1849, and by the mid-1850s rail lines connected Chattanooga, Knoxville, and the Tri-Cities. The ET&G was headquartered in Athens before moving to Knoxville in 1855.[1] A train depot from this early railroad period still stands in Niota. A number of communities sprang up along the railroads in subsequent years, most notably Etowah, where the L&N built a large depot in the early 1900s, and Englewood, which developed into a textile manufacturing center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[1]
Like many East Tennessee counties, McMinn was polarized by the Civil War and the issue of secession.[1] On June 8, 1861, the county voted against secession by a margin of 1,144 to 904.[3] The county provided 12 regiments for the Union Army and eight for the Confederate Army during the course of the war.[3]
On August 18, 1920, State Rep. Harry T. Burn of Niota cast the deciding vote in the Tennessee General Assembly to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Burn credited a letter from his mother, Febb Ensminger Burn, for his decision to vote in favor of the amendment. McMinn County voters, although divided on the women's suffrage issue, reelected Burn to the state legislature three months later.[4]
In August 1946, an uprising known as the Battle of Athens erupted when the McMinn County sheriff and several other county officials (who had ties to Memphis political boss E.H. Crump) tried to steal the election. A group of World War II veterans launched an armed assault on the jail in Athens, where the county officials had retreated with the ballot boxes. After an exchange of gunfire, the county officials turned over the ballot boxes, and the votes were counted in a public setting, proving the bipartisan reform ticket won the election.[5][6]
On December 11, 1990, a crash involving 99 vehicles occurred along Interstate 75 near Calhoun in heavy fog, killing 12 and injuring 42.[7][8] The accident, which occurred in an area prone to fog, was reportedly the largest motor vehicle crash in United States history at the time, in terms of the number of vehicles involved, and was blamed by some on the nearby Bowater (now Resolute Forest Products) paper mill.[9][10]
Schools[edit]
The 1870 Tennessee constitution prevented black and white children from attending the same public schools.[23][24] In 1875, McMinn County had 56 white schools and 10 "colored" schools.[25] After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, Tennessee began to integrate schools.[26]
McMinn County Schools operates public schools serving most of the county for grades K-12. Included are McMinn County High School and McMinn Central High School.
In 2020, the district had 5,493 students. It had two high schools, seven middle schools, seven elementary schools, and seven preschools.[27] As of 2022, a total of 31% of elementary school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 40% tested did so for math. Also, 31% of middle school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 40% did so for math. Furthermore 34% of high school students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 22% did so for math.[27]
Athens City Schools and the Etowah School District, respectively, serve their areas for grades K-8, with McMinn County Schools operating the high schools for those respective cities.[28]