South Guthrie, Tennessee
South Guthrie, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
  South Guthrie, Tennessee  South Guthrie, Tennessee | |
| Coordinates: 36°38′28″N 87°10′06″W / 36.641088°N 87.168289°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Montgomery |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 931 |
South Guthrie is an unincorporated rural community in Montgomery County, Tennessee, immediately south of the Kentucky state line.[1]
Geography
[edit]South Guthrie is adjacent to the city of Guthrie, Kentucky; essentially, it is the part of the Guthrie community located south of the state line. U.S. 41 is the primary route through the community.
History
[edit]In the Jim Crow era, South Guthrie was the African-American community associated with the white city of Guthrie, with the state line forming a dividing line between the races.[1]
The community of Guthrie was established in 1868 and experienced early growth after a railroad junction was completed in 1870. South Guthrie, which grew up alongside Guthrie, was known historically by the nicknames "Squiggtown" and "Niggertown", the latter being a pejorative used by white residents of Guthrie.[1]
In the early decades of the 20th century, residents of South Guthrie found industrial employment in a broom factory and a plant that made railroad ties. South Guthrie also had a small middle class of African-American professionals and benefited economically from African-American tobacco farmers in the surrounding "Black Patch" region.[1]
South Guthrie is still predominantly black, while Guthrie is predominantly white, although the divisions are not as sharply defined as they were historically.[1]
The building that houses the South Guthrie community center is a former Rosenwald school that was completed in 1922 and operated as a school until 1968.[1][2] It is the only survivor out of 22 Rosenwald schools that once existed in Montgomery County.[3] The Guildfield Missionary Baptist Church, also built in 1922, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g West, Carroll Van (January 29, 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Guildfield Missionary Baptist Church". Middle Tennessee State University, Center for Historic Preservation.
- ^ "South Guthrie Community Center Rental Policies and Procedures". Montgomery County Government. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
- ^ Hicks, Mark (April 10, 2013). "South Guthrie project preserves history, adds meeting space". The Leaf Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee.
Municipalities and communities of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Military base | ||
| Ghost town | ||