Editing Bell Buckle, Tennessee

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Bell Buckle, Tennessee
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Bell-Buckle-downtown-tn1.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Downtown Bell Buckle
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = File:Bedford County Tennessee Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Bell Buckle Highlighted 4704460.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Bell Buckle in Bedford County, Tennessee.
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Tennessee]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Tennessee|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Bedford County, Tennessee|Bedford]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name         =     Anna Allison 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='47'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 1.32
|area_land_km2            = 1.32
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.51
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.51
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
|population_total         = 410
|population_density_km2   = 310.61
|population_density_sq_mi = 803.92

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 261
|elevation_ft             = 856
|coordinates              = {{coord|35|35|27|N|86|21|15|W|region:US-TN|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 37020
|area_code                = [[Area code 931|931]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 47-04460<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1276910<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|townofbellbuckle.com}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}

'''Bell Buckle''' is a town in [[Bedford County, Tennessee]], United States. The population was 410 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4704460| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212202015/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4704460| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bell Buckle town, Tennessee| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=April 8, 2014}}</ref> The downtown area is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as the [[Bell Buckle Historic District]].

==History==
The origin of the town's unusual name is not known. According to the local [[chamber of commerce]], one story says that one of the first white men to travel through the area found a tree with carvings of a [[cowbell]] and a [[buckle]], possibly carved by [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] to warn white settlers away, or possibly carved by [[surveying|surveyor]]s to mark the area as good [[pasture]]. Another form of the legend holds that a bell and buckle were tied around a tree. In any case, the nearby creek was named Bell Buckle Creek, and the town later took the name of the creek.<ref name="Chamber History">[http://www.bellbucklechamber.com/history.html Local History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113110725/http://www.bellbucklechamber.com/history.html|date=January 13, 2008}} and [http://www.bellbucklechamber.com/history2.html Bell Buckle Past and Present] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115175338/http://www.bellbucklechamber.com/history2.html|date=November 15, 2007}} on Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce website (accessed December 19, 2007).</ref>

The Bell Buckle area was settled in the early 19th century. A bustling town grew up after the [[Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad]] came through the area in 1852. A railroad depot was built in 1853, and the town was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1856. Bell Buckle had its period of greatest prosperity after about 1870, becoming the major [[Feedlot|stockyard]] between [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] and [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] and growing to a population of more than 1,000.<ref name="Chamber History" />

The town name was spelled Belle Buckle until the early 1900s, as that was the spelling by the post office and on cancellation devices (1896), by the [[Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway]] on its 1903 route map,<ref>Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway/History, accessed September 5, 2022</ref> and on the sign on an undated photo of the train station. It is not known exactly when the spelling was changed to Bell Buckle, but it was sometime before 1935 when Tennessee started issuing delayed birth certificates for residents who needed them to apply for Social Security.

In June 1940, US Army maneuvers centered on the area. A tank of General [[George S. Patton]]'s Second Armored Division ran into the two-story town hall, bringing the building down.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dickson |first1=Paul |title=The Rise of the G.I. Army, 1940-1941: The Forgotten Story of How America Forged a Powerful Army Before Pearl Harbor |date=July 7, 2020 |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |isbn=978-0802147677 |edition=Kindle |location=2809}}</ref>
==Geography==
Bell Buckle is located in northeastern Bedford County at {{coord|35|35|27|N|86|21|15|W|type:city}} (35.590749, -86.354047).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> Tennessee State Routes [[Tennessee State Route 82|82]] and [[Tennessee State Route 269|269]] cross at the town's center. TN 82 leads east {{convert|8|mi|0}} to [[Beechgrove, Coffee County, Tennessee|Beechgrove]] and [[Interstate 24 in Tennessee|Interstate 24]], and west {{convert|5|mi|0}} to [[U.S. Route 231 in Tennessee|U.S. Route 231]] at a point {{convert|7|mi|0}} north of [[Shelbyville, Tennessee|Shelbyville]], the county seat. TN 269 leads south {{convert|5|mi|0}} to [[Wartrace, Tennessee|Wartrace]] and north {{convert|11|mi}} to U.S. 231 near [[Christiana, Tennessee|Christiana]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Bell Buckle has a total area of {{convert|1.5|km2|disp=flip}}, all land.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 298
|1890= 715
|1900= 665
|1910= 466
|1920= 471
|1930= 378
|1940= 355
|1950= 341
|1960= 318
|1970= 393
|1980= 450
|1990= 326
|2000= 391
|2010= 500
|2020= 410
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="GR9">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 4, 2012|title=Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses}}</ref><ref name=CensusPopEst>{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=December 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 391 people, 167 households, and 105 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|813.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 183 housing units at an average density of {{convert|380.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.95% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] and 2.05% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]].

There were 167 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $15,556 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $16,235. About 8.2% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.

===2010 census===
The 2010 [[census]] showed the population of Bell Buckle to have risen to 500 people, with a total population growth of 27.9%. The census documented 62.8% of the population as being 18 years of age or above, and 37.2% as under 18.  The racial makeup of the town was 84.8% White, 8.2% Asian, 3.2% Hispanic, 2.8% African American and 1% from two or more races.

The 2010 census documented 164 housing units, 87.2% of which were occupied, and 12.8% were vacant.

==Sightseeing and tourism==
Bell Buckle is noted for the many preserved and restored [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] homes, shops, and churches located in and around downtown. Bell Buckle is a center for [[antique]]s, [[quilt]]s, and various handmade crafts. The town hosts two yearly festivals: the [[RC Cola]] & [[Moon Pie]] festival<ref name="cola">{{cite web|url=http://www.bellbucklechamber.com/rcmoon.html |title=RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival |access-date=November 21, 2007 |publisher=Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119033917/http://www.bellbucklechamber.com/rcmoon.html |archive-date=November 19, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Webb School Arts & Crafts Fair.

A member of Tennessee Backroads, Bell Buckle has the distinction of being the smallest town in Tennessee to be a [[Tree City USA]]. Bell Buckle is the home of [[Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee)|The Webb School]] (which relocated from [[Culleoka, Tennessee|Culleoka]] in 1886), a college preparatory [[boarding school|boarding]] and [[day school]] which plays an integral part in the ambience of the town.

== Notable residents ==
*[[Molly Bee]], country music singer – On January 11, 1975, on ''[[Hee Haw]]'', [[Molly Bee]] saluted her home town of Bell Buckle, population 393.<ref>Hee Haw Season 6 Episode 18</ref>
*[[Keon Johnson (basketball, born 2002)|Keon Johnson]], basketball player – Johnson was born in nearby [[Shelbyville, Tennessee|Shelbyville]] and played basketball for [[The Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tennessee)|The Webb School]] in Bell Buckle and played one season with the [[Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball|University of Tennessee Volunteers]] prior to being drafted by the [[New York Knicks]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] with the 21st pick of the [[2021 NBA draft]].  The Knicks subsequently traded Johnson to the [[Los Angeles Clippers]], with whom he made his NBA debut during the 2021–22 season.
* Gary "[[Lazarus Lake]]" Cantrell, designer and director of endurance races, including [[Barkley Marathons]] and [[Big's Backyard Ultra]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gintzler |first1=Ariella |title=Meet Lazarus Lake, the Man Behind the Barkley Marathons |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/2392166/barkely-marathons-lazarus-lake |website=outsideonline.com/|date=March 28, 2019 }}</ref>
*[[Holly Finley]], professional disc golfer and model is from Bell Buckle.<ref>Holly Finley #51277 | Professional Disc Golf Association. https://www.pdga.com/player/51277/</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bell Buckle, Tennessee}}
*[http://www.townofbellbuckle.com/ Town of Bell Buckle official website]
*[http://www.bellbucklechamber.com/ Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://www.mtas.tennessee.edu/gml-mtas.nsf/Webstatecityinfo/617DFD45B3B7C3EA85256AF7005EDA03?OpenDocument Municipal Technical Advisory Service entry for Bell Buckle] — information on local government, elections, and link to charter
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081108101415/http://www.thewebbschool.com/home/ The Webb School]

{{Coord|display=title|35.590749|-86.354047}}
{{Bedford County, Tennessee}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Bedford County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Towns in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1853]]
[[Category:1853 establishments in Tennessee]]