Pulaski, Tennessee

Pulaski is a city and county seat of Giles County, located on the southern border of Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2010 census.[6] It was named to honor the Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski.

Pulaski, Tennessee
City
Town Square in Pulaski
Location of Pulaski in Giles County, Tennessee.
Coordinates: 35°11′45″N 87°02′04″W
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountyGiles
Incorporated1809[1]
Named forKazimierz Pułaski
Government
 • MayorPatrick Ford
Area
 • Total7.51 sq mi (19.44 km2)
 • Land7.51 sq mi (19.44 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
699 ft (213 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total7,870
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
7,597
 • Density1,012.12/sq mi (390.77/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
38478
Area code(s)931
FIPS code47-61040[4]
GNIS feature ID1298659[5]
Websitewww.pulaski-tn.com

During early years of Reconstruction, in late 1865, it was the site of Confederate veterans organizing the first chapter of what became known as the Ku Klux Klan, a secret, white supremacist group. In 1870 Martin Methodist College was founded in Pulaski for white students in the area.

History

Pulaski was founded in 1809.

During the American Civil War, the vicinity of Pulaski was the site of a number of skirmishes during the Franklin–Nashville Campaign. Union troops occupied the state from 1862. In 1863, Confederate courier Sam Davis was hanged in Pulaski by the Union Army on suspicion of espionage.

In late 1865, during the early days of the Reconstruction Era, the city was the site of founding the first Ku Klux Klan (KKK) by six Tennessee veterans of the Confederate Army. John C. Lester, John B. Kennedy, James R. Crowe, Frank O. McCord, Richard R. Reed, and J. Calvin Jones established the KKK in Pulaski on December 25, 1865, creating rules for a secret white society.[7][8]

The white insurgents were determined to maintain and to fight secretly against the political advancement of freedmen and of sympathetic whites. Chapter of the KKK quickly were organized in other parts of the state and the South. KKK members often attacked their victims at night, to increase the intimidation of threats and assaults. Other incidents of racial violence against blacks also took place. The Pulaski riot was a race riot initiated against blacks that occurred in Pulaski in the winter of 1868.

Martin Methodist College was founded in Pulaski in 1870.

Geography

Pulaski is located in central Giles County at 35°11′45″N 87°2′4″W (35.195786, -87.034328).[9] The downtown area is on the north side of Richland Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the Elk River.

U.S. Route 31 passes through the center of Pulaski as First Street, leading north 30 miles (48 km) to Columbia and southeast 19 miles (31 km) to Ardmore at the Alabama border. U.S. Route 31 Alternate (E. Grigsby Street) leaves U.S. 31 in the north part of Pulaski and heads northeast 23 miles (37 km) to Lewisburg. U.S. Route 64 passes south of Pulaski on a bypass route; it leads east 29 miles (47 km) to Fayetteville and west 18 miles (29 km) to Lawrenceburg.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.7 km2), all land.[6]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18501,137—
18702,070—
18802,0890.9%
18902,2748.9%
19002,83824.8%
19102,9283.2%
19202,780−5.1%
19303,36721.1%
19405,31457.8%
19505,7628.4%
19606,61614.8%
19706,9895.6%
19807,1842.8%
19907,8959.9%
20007,871−0.3%
20107,8700.0%
2019 (est.)7,597[3]−3.5%
Sources:[10][11]

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 7,871 people, 3,455 households, and 2,038 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,200.8 people per square mile (464.0/km2). There were 3,888 housing units at an average density of 593.2 per square mile (229.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.40% White, 27.06% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.

There were 3,455 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,459, and the median income for a family was $37,219. Males had a median income of $30,400 versus $21,714 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,751. About 12.7% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Airport
Abernathy Field, May 2014. ICAO Code: KGZS

Abernathy Field is a public-use airport owned by the City of Pulaski and Giles County. It is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Pulaski.[12]

Media

The local newspaper is the Pulaski Citizen.

Education
Martin Methodist College, May 2014

Pulaski is home to two high schools, Giles County High School and Richland High School (Lynnville). Pulaski is also home to Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski (TCAT) and to Martin Methodist College.

Sports

In 1903, Pulaski was home to the Pulaski Baseball Club, an independent Minor League Baseball team that played in the Tennessee–Alabama League.[13]

Events

The Diana Singing, near Pulaski in Cornersville, is home of the semi-annual Diana Singing, sponsored by the Churches of Christ. The event attracts over 3,000 people to the area in June and September.[14]

Notable people

References
  1. Tennessee Blue Book, 2005-2006, pp. 618-625.
  2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Pulaski city, Tennessee". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  7. Horn, Stanley F. (1939). Invisible Empire: The Story of the Ku Klux Klan, 1866–1871. Montclair, New Jersey: Patterson Smith Publishing Corporation. p. 9.
  8. Fleming, Walter J., Ku Klux Klan: Its Origins, Growth and Disbandment, p. 27, 1905, Neale Publishing.
  9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  10. "Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  11. "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 17 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  12. FAA Airport Form 5010 for GZS PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 3 June 2010.
  13. "Pulaski, Tennessee Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
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