'Reverie, Tennessee' is a town in
Tipton County, Tennessee,
United States.
Due to
tectonic changes caused by several
earthquakes in
1811 and
1812, part of what is now Tipton County was cut off the state of
Tennessee by a change in the course of the
Mississippi River. During these events the settlement of Reverie was placed on the western bank of the river, the
Arkansas side, while most of the area of Tipton County remained located east of the Mississippi River, the Tennessee side.
In the first half of the
20th century,
archeological artifacts from an
aboriginal village dated
1400-
1650 CE were found about 4
mi (6.4
km) northeast of Reverie, at the
Nodena Site.
[http://www.traveljournals.net/explore/united_states/map/u58270/nodena.html TravelJournals.net][http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/hampsonmuseum/ ArkansasStateParks.com, Hampson Museum]
Demographics
According to the
United States Census, in
2000 the total
population of the Reverie voting district was 11. The entire population was
White, Non-
Hispanic at that time.
[1]
Education
The state of Tennessee pays for the children in the population to attend
schools in Arkansas.
[http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/local/tipton www.tnhistoryforkids.org]
Economy
View to the SW along the former riverbed of the
Mississippi River, just south of the
TN/
AR state line near Reverie, TN (2007)
is the dominant source of income in the area surrounding Reverie, especially the
cultivation of
cotton.
Historical
After the
abolition of slavery,
sharecropping was the primary means of income for low income families in the area. Mostly for the
cultivation of
cotton, land would be used by
sharecroppers 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.
History
Aboriginal village 1400-1650 CE
About 4
mi (6.4
km) northeast of Reverie, at the
Nodena Site,
archeological artifacts from a 15
acre (60,703
m2)
aboriginal village dated
1400-
1650 CE were found in the first half of the
20th century.
A collection of these artifacts is on display at the
Hampson Museum State Park in
Wilson, Arkansas.
[http://visionmena.com/Arkansas%20State%20Parks/hampson_museum.htm Visiomania.com, Hampson Museum]
In
1966 the
Nodena Site was listed as a
National Historic Landmark.
1811 and 1812 earthquakes
In
1811 and
1812 several
earthquakes spreading out from the
New Madrid Seismic Zone caused a
tectonic shift which changed the course of the
Mississippi River, cutting off the western tip of what is now
Tipton County, Tennessee and placing the settlement of Reverie west of the Mississippi River, on the
Mississippi County, Arkansas side.
Tennessee/Arkansas stateline
The
political border between
Tennessee and
Arkansas was established in the "''
Treaty of Frienship, Limits, and Navigation''" on
October 27 1795 following the "''middle of the channel or
bed of the Mississippi River''" as of that time.
[3][4] After the earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 the riverbed of the Mississippi River had moved about 3.5
miles (5,6
km) southeast from its former location, straightening a
bend and shortening the river about 3 miles (4,8 km).
Modern
The Arkansas and Tennessee stateline remained unchanged by the tectonic events of 1811 and 1812, still marking the middle of the Mississippi River as it was in 1795. The Tennessee/Arkansas state line near Reverie in
2007 is 3.5 miles (5,6 km) northwest of the Mississippi River.
Geography
Location and landscape
Reverie is located at 35.53806 North, -89.99 West. The
coordinates mark the location of the
historical post office.
[5]
The landscape is dominated by the Mississippi River
flood plains,
fields and few
trees.
Former Mississippi riverbed
Along and
parallel to the Tennessee/Arkansas state line, the former course of the Mississippi River as it was before the
earthquakes in 1811 and 1812 is still visible in the landscape almost 200 years after the events. The former
riverbed has shrunk to small side arms of the Mississippi River which, dependent on the water level and
precipitation, are still partly connected to the river.
Mississippi River Island No. 35
Reverie is situated on
Island No. 35 of the
Mississippi River. The bed of the Mississippi River as of
2007 in the Southeast and small side arms following the pre-earthquake riverbed as of
1795 in the Northwest surround the Reverie area by water of the the Mississippi River.
Although the sidearms are only partially connected most of the time, dependent on
precipitation and water level of the river, Reverie is located on what
topologically is Island No. 35 of the Mississippi River.
[6][7]
County seat Covington, Tennessee
The direct
distance between Reverie and the
county seat Covington, Tennessee is only 18
miles (29
km). In
2007 the road trip to Covington requires to go via
Memphis, Tennessee and is longer than 83 miles (134 km).
[8]
Postal
Postal
address and
ZIP code for the town used to be ''Reverie TN, AR 72395''. The ZIP code is cross referenced with
Wilson, Arkansas.
United States Postal Service recommends to use ''Wilson, AR 72395'' for the town of Riverie instead.
[9]
See also
★
New Madrid earthquake
★
New Madrid Seismic Zone
★
Wilson, Arkansas
★
Nodena Site
References
1. http://cber.utk.edu/Census/vtd/c167vtd.txt U.S. Census 2000
2. Map of the Nodena, Arkansas area Mapquest.com
3. http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2546 encyclopediaofarkansas.net
4. http://www.yale.edu "''Treaty of Friendship, Limits, and Navigation''" , Avalon project at the Yale Law School
5. http://www.brainygeography.com/features/TN.po/reveriepostofficehistorica.html www.braingeography.com
6. http://www.munford.com/maps/TiptonCounty.pdf Tipton County map
7. Topozone.com Topographic map of Mississippi River Island No. 35
8. http://www.mapquest.com Route from Reverie to county seat Covington, Tennessee
9. http://www.usps.com United States Postal Service
Notes
Areal views of the Reverie, Tennessee area with
superimposed state borders illustrate the course of the Mississippi River in this area before and after the
1811 and
1812 earthquakes. The state line is following the pre-earthquake
riverbed as of
1795. In
2007 the Mississippi River is located about 3.5
miles (5,6
km) southeast of the Tennessee/Arkansas state border near Reverie.
External links
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