The Harpeth River , 115 miles (185 km) long, is one of the major streams of north-central Middle Tennessee , United States, and one of the major tributaries of the Cumberland River . Via the Cumberland and the Ohio Rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. The lower portion of the Harpeth is designated as a "scenic river" under the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Act.
49-492: The Harpeth rises in the westernmost part of Rutherford County, Tennessee , just to the east of the community of College Grove in eastern Williamson County . The upper portion of the river has been contaminated to some extent by the operation of a lead smelting plant located near the Kirkland community that recycled used automobile batteries from the 1950s until the 1990s. The stream flows generally westerly into Franklin ,
98-501: A contested area. The county was home to one of the bloodiest battles of the war, the Battle of Stones River , which was fought between December 31, 1862, and January 2, 1863. On July 13, 1862, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest conducted a series of cavalry operations known locally as Forrest's Raid . The raid successfully led to the surrender of all Union forces occupying the area. Soon after his departure, Union troops returned to
147-485: A female head of household with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 20.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.09. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 13.20% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
196-488: A home near the site. Today, the diversion tunnel and some "slag" are about all that remain of his mill operation. The Montgomery Bell Tunnel is a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark . Also at the "Narrows of the Harpeth" is a prehistoric site known as Mound Bottom , noted for the complex earthwork constructions built from 950 and occupied into the 15th century. This area has several ceremonial and burial earthwork mounds of
245-577: A marketing video, "What Can the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center Do For You?” featuring images of children in black-and-white striped prison uniforms, and narrated by Juvenile Court Judge Donna Scott Davenport , to solicit business for the JDC. As of 2021, 39 Tennessee counties were contracting with Rutherford County to incarcerate youth, along with the U.S. Marshals Service. It is alleged that in subsequent years,
294-538: A paper read before the Tennessee Historical Society and published by the “American Historical Magazine” in 1900. Hicks comments upon the influence of classical literature read by learned gentlemen in the 18th century. One source popular among many in the English-speaking world, including America, was the “Spectator” published by Joseph Addison. The “Spectator” contained articles on philosophy, morals and
343-538: A paying customer" and "We get a lot of business” A county commissioner added, that "Hey, it’s a business. Generating revenue." The county then solicited other counties in Tennessee and surrounding states to send detained youth to the Rutherford County juvenile jail for incarceration, at $ 175 per day per child, and said that over 20 Tennessee counties had contracted with Rutherford's juvenile jail. The county released
392-513: Is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee . It is located in Middle Tennessee . As of a 2023 estimate, the population was 367,101, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee. A study conducted by the University of Tennessee projects Rutherford County to become the third largest county in Tennessee by population by 2050. Its county seat is Murfreesboro , which is also
441-542: Is a walk-in area for fishing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. In 1818, the General Jackson unloaded at Harpeth Island due to low water while attempting to make the first steamboat journey up the Cumberland River to Nashville, Tennessee . One year later in 1819, the General Jackson again intended to unload at Harpeth Island, but an unexpected increase in water levels allowed the boat to continue upriver and become
490-826: Is an island in the Cumberland River in Cheatham County, Tennessee , US. It is the largest river island between the Old Hickory Dam and the Cheatham Dam . It is located near Ashland City, Tennessee . It spans 20 acres within the Cheatham Lake Wildlife Management Area , and it is owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers . The island was surveyed by the Army Corps in 1930. It
539-568: Is elected from the county at-large . Rob Mitchell is the current Assessor of Property and has held office since 2012. This area of the state was predominately Democratic following the American Civil War , but the significant minority of African Americans joined the Republican Party. The white-dominated state legislature in the 1880s passed four laws that effectively disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites, particularly due to
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#1732848701797588-426: Is found in the diary of John Lipscomb. His July 1784 entry mentions the “Harpath” river. In addition, contemporary historian Virginia Bowman gives credence to Hicks' theory in her comprehensive book on early sites and homes of Williamson County, Tennessee. There is no dispute that the title of the song " Harper Valley PTA " by Tom T. Hall is derived from this stream, indirectly. Hall, long an area resident, says that
637-623: Is very popular with canoeists , supporting canoe-outfitting and related businesses. The mouth of the Harpeth into the Cumberland is near Ashland City , the Cheatham County seat. Near the mouth is a bridge on State Route 49 named in Montgomery Bell's honor. The mouth is just below the Cumberland's Harpeth Island , and is somewhat submerged by the backwaters of the Corps' Cheatham Dam . After
686-606: The Native American Mississippian culture , which preceded those historic tribes of the area known to European encounter. Bell's diversion tunnel and the sheer bluffs nearby are now part of the Narrows of the Harpeth section of Harpeth River State Park , a linear park connecting several natural, historic, and archaeological sites along the lower Harpeth. From this historic site, the flow becomes generally more northerly, but still greatly meandering. The Harpeth soon forms
735-468: The poverty line , including 8.50% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over. The 2010 census put the population of Rutherford County at 262,604. This represents a greater than 40% population growth since the 2000 U.S. Census. As of 2009, it was estimated that the total minority fraction of the population had grown to almost 20% of the total, with Hispanic population at 5.58%, African-American population at 12.09%, and Asian population at 2.66% of
784-450: The "Narrows of the Harpeth". At a 7-mile (11 km) horseshoe bend, Bell's workers cut a tunnel through approximately 200 yards (180 m) of solid rock. They used black-powder blasting techniques to build a diversion tunnel to power the mill, which Bell called "Pattison Forge" (often spelled, incorrectly, "Patterson") after his mother's maiden name. Bell was so pleased with his mill that he curtailed some of his other area operations and built
833-735: The Revolution. He was appointed President of the Council of the Southwest Territory (the upper chamber of the territorial legislature) in 1794. Rutherford County strongly supported the Confederacy during the Civil War , having voted 2,392 to 73 in favor of Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession on June 8, 1861. Rutherford County's central location and proximity to Nashville during the Civil War made it
882-615: The Waters". The river in this area flows quite near the Natchez Trace (the original road of that name, not the modern Parkway named for it, which is several miles distant). The river shortly crosses into Davidson County and receives the flow of the Little Harpeth River , another important tributary. The stream flows near the unincorporated Nashville suburb of Bellevue and shortly after this flows into Cheatham County . The course of
931-529: The area and held it until the end of the war. In August 1869, rampaging white men drove close to 100 African American farmers from their homes, and out of the county, to Nashville . In 1884, Bradley Academy in Murfreesboro became Rutherford County's first accredited high school for African Americans. The co-educational school was operated by the Murfreesboro City Schools system. Bradley Academy
980-476: The arrangement was alleged in court to have violated racketeering laws—jailing impoverished people who did not pay court fines for misdemeanor offenses and traffic violations, and refusing to waive fees for indigent convicts. Seven probationers, many sick or disabled, living on food stamps, charged in court that they lost housing, jobs, cars—after multiple threats from Providence that they would be jailed for failing to pay. In 2017, Rutherford County consented to end
1029-437: The classics. In publication number 584, printed in 1714, is found the antediluvian love story of Hilpa, Harpath and Shalum. Harpath comes to an untimely end drowning in a river as he attempted to cross it. “The river is called to this day from his name, who perished in it, the river Harpath…”. Hicks does not offer the claim that this is the definitive origin of the name however he does say it is “certainly appropriate…I submit it as
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#17328487017971078-429: The county has favored Republican candidates for local, state, and national elections, although Democrats have slightly improved their performance in elections. In 2008, the county built a $ 23,300,000 expansion to the county jail. It is alleged that some county officials viewed the jail as a for-profit business. In May 2016, Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold, his Chief Administrative Deputy Joe L. Russell and
1127-489: The county seat of Williamson County and suburb of Nashville . The Harpeth is the source of the area's drinking water supply. At Franklin, the course of the river turns more northwesterly; a few miles northwest of Franklin is the mouth of one of the Harpeth's main tributaries, the West Harpeth , which drains much of the southern portion of Williamson County. Near this site is an antebellum plantation house called "Meeting of
1176-489: The county to stop using its "filter" system because it "departs drastically" from ordinary juvenile detention standards. In June 2021, Rutherford County settled with plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit, agreeing to payments of up to $ 11 million, to up to 1,450 potential claimants for wrongful arrest or incarceration, but denying any wrongdoing. The settlement amount was amended to $ 5.1 million in December 2021. The settlement
1225-419: The county was 85.73% White , 9.51% Black or African American , 1.90% Asian , 0.29% Native American , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 1.32% from other races , and 1.20% from two or more races. 2.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 66,443 households, out of which 37.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 11.20% had
1274-401: The county's juvenile jail at a rate ten times higher than the state's average, and that some children were arrested and jailed for alleged violations of non-existent laws. Class action federal lawsuits resulted in the county ending solitary confinement of children in custody. In May 2017, a federal court said that children were being illegally detained in Rutherford County, and ordered
1323-533: The county. As of the census of 2010 , there were 262,604 people, 96,232 households, and 66,810 families living in the county. The population density was 424 people per square mile (164 people/km ), and the housing unit density was 156 units per square mile (60 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 80.67% White , 12.65% Black or African American , 3.08% Asian , 0.36% Native American , 0.05% Pacific Islander , and 2.04% from two or more races . Those of Hispanic or Latino origins were 6.67% of
1372-580: The geographic center of Tennessee. As of 2010, it is the center of population of Tennessee. Rutherford County is included in the Nashville-Davidson –Murfreesboro– Franklin , TN Metropolitan Statistical Area . Rutherford County was formed in 1803 from parts of Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties, and named in honor of Griffith Rutherford (1721–1805). Rutherford was a North Carolina colonial legislator and an American Revolutionary War general, who settled in Middle Tennessee after
1421-426: The jail that year, including two suicides (one resulting in a $ 260,000 lawsuit settlement against the county), state inspectors decertified the jail, citing faults in the jail's policies, programs, staffing and the physical plant. Following numerous changes to policies and facilities—particularly inmate supervision and monitoring, and converting 400 beds to bunk beds , to allow the jail to hold 950 people—the jail
1470-518: The judgeship, stating the goals of restoring confidence in the juvenile court, and pledged "to uphold the integrity of the family unit", while the Rutherford County Commission is assembling a new Juvenile Detention Board to "oversee incarceration operations", including juvenile detention staff, who report to Judge Davenport. Rutherford County outsourced some of its probation administration to Providence Community Corrections, and, in 2015,
1519-459: The line between Dickson and Cheatham counties for the last part of its course. A few miles above the mouth are what are known as the Three Islands; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed siting a dam near this location on several occasions and did some preliminary study. It was not supported by a favorable cost-benefit ratio and the project was never built. The lower portion of the Harpeth
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1568-436: The local authorities to allow the mosque, and opposition subsided, but sporadic incidents continued. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 624 square miles (1,620 km ), of which 619 square miles (1,600 km ) is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km ) (0.8%) is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 341,486 people, 113,797 households, and 78,348 families residing in
1617-543: The most probable and ingenious theory I can suggest.” Early 18th-century maps including Matthew Carey's 1795 Map of Tennessee as well as that of John Reid, Imlay's American Topography, Arrowsmith, and Stockdale use the spelling Harpath River which differs from the modern spelling of “Harpeth”. The exception is John Russell's 1794 map of the Southwest Territory published in London circa 1794. The earliest known written reference
1666-523: The name existed on maps and documents as early as 1784, predating their fame. A late-18th-century map, published in London , purportedly shows the stream as the "Fairpath"; there is some dissension about whether the name is of Native American origin or perhaps a corruption of the rather common English name "Harper". Another possible origin for the name of the Harpeth River was presented by Edward D. Hicks in
1715-432: The population. Of the 96,232 households, 35.19% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 51.61% were married couples living together, 5.04% had a male householder with no wife present, 12.77% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.59% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.38% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
1764-506: The removal of the lowhead dam in the city of Franklin, the Harpeth is Tennessee's second-longest unimpounded stream (the longest being the Buffalo ). The origin of the name "Harpeth" is controversial. It is often claimed that the river was named for America's first known serial killers , the Harpe brothers , known as "Big Harpe" and "Little Harpe" who were in the area in 1797; this is erroneous since
1813-544: The requirement of payment of a poll tax in order to register to vote, which reduced the competitiveness of the Republican Party in this part of the state. Since the late 20th century, the majority of white conservatives in Rutherford County shifted toward the Republican Party . Since this time, the changing demographics of the county has shown a significant increase in minorities; however, this change has resulted in no significant impact to party alignment. In recent years,
1862-494: The river in Cheatham County is very meandering. A few miles into Cheatham County, it is joined by another major tributary, the South Harpeth, which drains some of the southwestern portion of Davidson County, southeastern Cheatham County, and a small portion of northwesternmost Williamson County. In Cheatham County is a remarkable civil engineering feat of the early 19th century. Ironmaster Montgomery Bell built an iron mill near
1911-663: The sheriff's uncle were named in a 14-count federal indictment charging fraud, bribery, extortion, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy for operating an e-cigarette business, for personal gain, in the jail. State officials reported that the JailCigs business gained over $ 110,000 in revenues pocketed by Arnold and Russell. All pleaded guilty. Arnold was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison, his deputy to 15 months. Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh replaced Arnold. Sheriff's Major Terry McBurney pleaded guilty to unrelated charges, losing his citizenship. In December 2016, following multiple deaths in
1960-491: The singular Rutherford County juvenile judge and local authorities, including the county's Juvenile Detention Center director Lynn Duke, colluded in the arrest and incarceration of hundreds of children, some as young as seven years old, on various misdemeanor charges, including schoolyard fights, truancy and cursing. All arrested children were jailed in the detention center, pending adjudication and assessment. In 2021, journalists reported that children were being incarcerated in
2009-692: The song's name derives from Harpeth Valley Elementary School in Davidson County in Bellevue, but he also states that the song was definitely not based on any occurrence there; rather, he simply liked the sound of it. Common put-ins/take-outs: Kingston Springs, TN - An area for canoe access in Cheatham County , west of Nashville. Franklin, TN Bellevue/West Davidson County, TN - An area for canoe access in Davidson County , west of Nashville. Rutherford County, Tennessee Rutherford County
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2058-483: The total. The Board of County Commissioners, the county legislative body, consists of 21 members elected for four-year terms from single-member districts based on roughly equal populations. The county mayor is the chief executive officer and is elected from the county at-large . The Assessor of Property is responsible for the valuation of all property in order that it be taxed by the county commission and mayor to raise funds necessary to operate county government and
2107-474: The use of for-profit, private probation companies, and PCC agreed to pay $ 14 million, spread among up to 25,000 court-identified victims, to settle the class action lawsuit. The top employers in the county are listed below. Rutherford County government including Rutherford County Schools also employ 6,028 individuals. The county is also home to Barrett Firearms Manufacturing and a General Mills production facility. Harpeth Island Harpeth Island
2156-424: Was $ 24,390. About 8.8% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 and over. As of the 2000 census , there were 182,023 people, 66,443 households, and 47,440 families living in the county. The population density was 294 people per square mile (114 people/km ), and there were 70,616 housing units. The racial makeup of
2205-471: Was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.14. Of the 262,604 residents, 26.17% were under the age of 18, 65.62% were between the ages of 18 and 64, and 8.21% were 65 years of age and older. The median age was 33.1 years. 50.60% of all residents were female and 49.40% were male. The median household income in the county was $ 53,770 and the median family income was $ 63,483. Males had a median income of $ 43,306 versus $ 35,437 for females. The per capita income
2254-414: Was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 46,312, and the median income for a family was $ 53,553. Males had a median income of $ 36,788 versus $ 26,555 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 19,938. About 5.80% of families and 9.00% of the population were below
2303-593: Was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. In the early 2000s, Muslim immigrants settled in the county, particularly in and around Murfreesboro . Their efforts to develop a mosque , the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (and its subsequent replacement) became the focus of intense local controversy and opposition from non-Muslims, and were stymied by political and legal battles, arson, bomb threats and vandalism. A federal court forced
2352-457: Was recertified in 2017. In 2000, Rutherford County created the post of Juvenile Court Judge to oversee the county's juvenile justice procedures. As part of the $ 23 million development of the county jail, in 2008, a juvenile detention center (JDC) was added. Some county officials allegedly viewed the juvenile jail as a for-profit business. At a public meeting, JDC director Lynn Duke stated that, “If we have empty beds, we will fill them with
2401-428: Was subsequently denied by the county's insurer, Lloyd's of London, which wrote that the county was aware of its illegal juvenile detention practices prior to its coverage by the insurer, but "concealed or misrepresented material facts" to obtain the policy, which voided the policy; the county filed a federal lawsuit against the insurer in December 2022. In August 2022, Republican Juvenile Court nominee Travis Lampley won
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