Skip to main content

Adairville, Kentucky

Image
By

Andrew Jackson shot and killed a man here once.


In 1806, at a spot a few miles west of town on the banks of the Red River, Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson settled a lengthy and heated dispute over a canceled horserace and comments made about Jackson's wife.  It takes a bit of research to find the spot where Jackson killed Dickinson, but the general area is the north shore of the Red River along Barren Plains Road. 

The general area where the Jackson-Dickinson Duel occurred.  Off of Barren Plains Road - Adairville, KY.
Though both men were residents of Tennessee, the Volunteer State had outlawed duels by 1806.  Kentucky had not.  The two men agreed on the site, date, and logistics of the duel.  Twenty-four paces apart and Dickinson - a renowned marksman - shooting first.  Indeed, Dickinson shot first - hitting Jackson in the chest but stopping before his heart.  Jackson, though wounded, remained standing and fired a shot into Dickinson's abdomen. Dickinson would die one day later. (1)

Though the dueling grounds are not marked with any historical marker or monument, on US 431 in Adairville - there is a Kentucky Historical Marker noting the event.  In Adairville's public square, there is artwork depicting the scene.

US 431 through Adairville.

Downtown Adairville

Adairville is a small town of under 1,000 people on US 431 just north of the Tennessee State Line.  It was first known as Dromgooles' Station - and was known as that at the time of the Jackson-Dickinson Duel.  In 1818, the community changed its name to Adairsville when the town was platted by General Robert Ewing and Michael Traughber.  Adairsville was named after John Adair, who commanded Kentucky troops in the Battle of New Orleans and would serve as Governor of Kentucky from 1820-1824.  Later in the 19th century, the 's' in Adairsville was dropped, and Adairville would become the town's formal name. (2)

This former bank is now home to an art studio and apartments.

Since 1947, Adairville has hosted a strawberry festival.  Held over the third weekend in May, it is one of the numerous strawberry festivals throughout Kentucky.  

How To Get There:

Sources:

Further Reading:

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...
3 comments
Read more

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

By
The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process.  The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

By
"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents.  Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes.  When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood.  The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...
Post a Comment
Read more