Denmark, Tennessee
Denmark, Tennessee | |
---|---|
Unincorporated community | |
Denmark, Tennessee | |
Coordinates: 35°31′58″N 89°00′14″W / 35.53278°N 89.00389°WCoordinates: 35°31′58″N 89°00′14″W / 35.53278°N 89.00389°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Tennessee |
County | Madison |
Elevation | 459 ft (140 m) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP code | 38391 |
Area code(s) | 731 |
GNIS feature ID | 1282335[1] |
Denmark is an unincorporated community and former city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States roughly 14 miles southwest of Jackson.[1] The zip code is 38391.[2] Although it was once a thriving farming community, a combination of man-made and natural disasters has reduced Denmark to a few remaining houses as well as the historic antebellum Denmark Presbyterian Church.[3]
History[]
Denmark was one of the first-settled places in Madison County; the land on which it was incorporated in 1854 was opened by Thomas Sanders in 1822. Presbyterian and Methodist churches were established in the area in 1833 and 1842.[4] By January 1844, the community had been sufficiently populated that an academy was incorporated by the Tennessee General Assembly.[5] Prior to the Civil War, Denmark flourished and rivaled neighboring Jackson in size.[3]
During the American Civil War, Union soldiers repulsed a Confederate raid near Denmark in the Battle of Britton's Lane in September 1862.[6][7]
Following the Civil War, Denmark's economy experienced a pronounced decline after being bypassed by all of the railroads built through Madison County. Although its population was about 250 in 1886,[4] Denmark's population declined such that its municipal charter was revoked on 28 April 1983 by a chancery court order after the Tennessee legislature passed a statute providing for the forfeiting of charters of any city with a population under 100.[8] The local high school, chartered in 1885,[4] was merged into South Side High School in 1992.[9] The local middle school was disestablished and its campus became the West Tennessee Regional Training Center.[10] Denmark Elementary is the community's only remaining school.[11]
Destructive weather[]
Denmark's repeated weather catastrophes have historically contributed to the community's decline.[3] A devastating tornado on 14 October 1909, accompanied by a thunderstorm and subsequent fires, inflicted immense damage.[12] Another, in 2003, was similarly destructive to its counterpart of a century before.[13]
Climate[]
Denmark's climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Denmark has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[14]
Climate data for Denmark, Tennessee | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °C (°F) | 9 (48) |
12 (53) |
17 (62) |
22 (72) |
27 (80) |
31 (88) |
33 (91) |
32 (90) |
29 (84) |
23 (74) |
16 (61) |
11 (51) |
22 (71) |
Average low °C (°F) | −2 (29) |
0 (32) |
4 (40) |
9 (49) |
14 (58) |
19 (66) |
21 (69) |
20 (68) |
16 (60) |
9 (48) |
4 (39) |
0 (32) |
9 (49) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 120 (4.6) |
110 (4.3) |
130 (5) |
130 (5) |
130 (5.3) |
110 (4.3) |
110 (4.4) |
76 (3) |
89 (3.5) |
81 (3.2) |
120 (4.7) |
130 (5) |
1,340 (52.6) |
Source: Weatherbase [14] |
Notable people[]
- Walt Bond, Negro league baseball player who later moved up to the Major League Baseball Cleveland Indians
- John Murrell, horse and slave thief and noted outlaw of the Natchez Trace, whose family lived in Denmark during his incarceration
In popular culture[]
Two mystery novels take place in part in a fictional version of Denmark: Such Vicious Minds: A Murder Mystery Featuring Elvis Presley by Daniel Klein, and Something Rotten by Alan Gratz.
References[]
- ^ a b "Denmark, Tennessee". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ^ United States Postal Service. "Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ a b c Tennessee Encyclopedia. "Madison County". Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ a b c History of Tennessee from the Earliest Time to the Present. Goodspeed Publishing. 1886.
- ^ "Chapter LXXXVI: An act to incorporate the Denmark male academy in the county of Madison," in Acts Passed at the First Session of the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee 1843–44. Nashville: L. Gifford and E. G. Eastman, Prs., 1844; pp. 101–102.
- ^ waymarking.com. "Battle of Britton's Lane". Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ Big Black Creek Historical Association. "The Battle of Britton's Lane". Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ "Part 3: Forfeiture of Charter: 6-52-301 through 6-52-304" Tennessee Code Annotated, Volume 2B, 2011 Replacement. Nashville: Tennessee Code Commission, 2011; pp. 221–223.
- ^ Jackson-Madison County School System. "About The School". Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ "Training center is supposed to be a 'money saver,' not a 'moneymaker,' Mehr says". The Jackson Sun. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ Jackson-Madison County School System. "Denmark Elementary School". Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ The Ogdensburg Journal (16 October 1909). "Forty Is Death Toll of Storm" (PDF). Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ Coggins, Allen R. (2012). Tennessee Tragedies: Natural, Technological, and Societal Disasters in the Volunteer State. University of Tennessee Press. p. 73.
- ^ a b weatherbase.com. "Denmark, Tennessee". Retrieved 11 August 2020.
External links[]
- 1819 establishments in Tennessee
- Unincorporated communities in Madison County, Tennessee
- Unincorporated communities in Tennessee
- Former municipalities in Tennessee