- Purdy, Tennessee
Purdy, Tennessee is a
rural unincorporated community 3.5 mi (5.6 km) northeast of Selmer in McNairy County,Tennessee ,United States . Until 1890, Purdy was the county seat of McNairy County. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~tnmcnair/PURDYTOWN.htm Purdy McNairy Co. TN ] ]Failed
railroad development in the 1850s kept the community rural until today, without industries, major business ventures or tourism.Demographics
In 1850, according to
Census records, the population of Purdy was 260. The population was residing in 43 dwelllings in the district.http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tn/mcnairy/census/1850/1850-pudey.txt rootsweb.com, Census, Purdy, 1850]Geography
Purdy is located at 35.22670 North, 88.53060 West, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) northeast of Selmer in McNairy County.http://wayhoo.com/index.php?a=wlist&sr=20&state=TN&
]
The elevation above sea level is 570 ft (173.7 m).
History
Purdy was the county seat of McNairy County until 1890.
Failed railroad development 1850s
In the 1850s, citizens of Purdy refused to financially support a
railroad line through their community, whereas residents ofSelmer, Tennessee supported a railroad through their town. The railroad brought business and wealth to Selmer and the rural community of Purdy remained rural.County seat changed 1890
In 1890, due to the increasing econonic development of Selmer following the railroad, the county seat was moved from Purdy to Selmer in a decision of Selmer voters. Since 1890 Selmer has been the county seat of McNairy County, Tennessee.http://www.mytennesseegenealogy.com/tn_county/mcn.htm MyTennesseeGenealogy.com]
Folklore
Col. Fielding Hurst, an Officer in the Civil War, was murdered by one of his enemies in his mansion in 1871, according to local
folklore . This is false, Fielding Hurst sold his home in Purdy to pay debts and lived in Mt. Gilead, Tennessee, where he died in 1882. http://www.fieldinghurst.com/trueorfalse.htm http://www.fieldinghurst.com ] He is said to have been responsible for the death of some residents of Purdy. According to folklore, the cemetery and the mansion are haunted by the souls who lost their lives.http://www.hurstnation.com hurstnation.com - Early and modern folklore of Purdy, Tennessee] Graves in the Purdy cemetery date back to the early 1800s and the Civil War era.Economy
The community's main source of income is
agriculture (especiallycotton ).Historical
After the
abolition of slavery ,sharecropping was the primary means of income for low income families in the area. Mostly for the cultivation ofcotton , land would be used bysharecroppers in return for a share of the crop to the landowner.Modern
Modern machines like the
cotton picker have made the manual cultivation obsolete over time as they took over the work from the hand laborers.In 2007, Purdy was a rural unincorporated community with no industries, major business ventures or tourism.
Notable natives
*
Marcus Joseph Wright (1831-1922), military governor of Columbus,Kentucky in the Civil War and author, born in Purdy.References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
