Clarksville, Tennessee


Clarksville is located in the middle part, near the Kentucky border, and is the fifth largest city in the U.S. State of Tennessee. The city has several nicknames, The Queen City or Queen City of the Cumberland. The nicknames reflects the city's historic prosperity as a tobacco market and trade center, with large tobacco warehouses and river access.

The city has gained national fame for its livability, and is known for known for affordability, and family-friendliness. The city rank as one of the country's best place to live. Clarksville is one of the most affordable places in America to start a small business. It has historic architecture, and it is a fast-growing city.



To See And To Do In Clarksville


  • Clarksville Regional Museum
  • Historic Collinsville Pioneer Settlement
  • Customs House Museum and Cultural Center
  • Dunbar Cave State Park
  • Historic Downtown
  • The 9-mile Clarksville Greenway (an abandoned railway)
  • Liberty Park and Clarksville Marina
  • Old Glory Distilling
  • Warehouse Forty One
  • The Shoppes at Sango antique mall
  • Three Rifles Distilling Co.
  • Star Spangled Brewing Company
  • Roxy Regional Theatre
  • Beachaven Vineyards and Winery
  • Fort Defiance Civil War Park
  • Governor's Square Mall
  • Cumberland Riverwalk


History Of Clarksville - Timeline


The Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw tribes lived in the area thousands of years before the first Europeans came. The Dunbar Cave in the area was a shelter for Native American. In 1768, the area was surveyed by Thomas Hutchins who established the area's first documented geographical landmarks.

In 1771, John Montgomery and Kasper Mansker explored the area while on a hunting expedition. In 1775, Montgomery discovered a spring and realized that this would be a good place to start a settlement.

In 1784, Clarksville was founded. John Montgomery and Martin Armstrong surveyed, and platted the town and named it Clarksville after the military leader George Rogers Clark. A courthouse was erected, and basic frontier dwellings were built.

In 1788, a fort or blockhouse was built near the town spring. A tobacco inspection was established. Local leaders persuaded lawmakers to designate the town as an official inspection point for tobacco to ensure the quality of the product. In 1790, Isaac Rowe Peterson discovered the Dunbar cave. Thomas Dunbar constructed a blockhouse on the property and it was named Dunbar Cave.

In 1792, Valentine Sevier experienced many attacks by Native Indians, and he built the Sevier Station. A stone-building used as a frontier outpost. During this time, Clarksville was constantly attacked by Indians, and many settlers and Indians were killed.

In 1794, approximately 40 Indians attacked the Sevier Station. Valentine Sevier and his family was in the house, and several of his family members, including a son were killed. His daughter, Rebecca, was scalped in the attack but survived. All of the neighbor's family died in the attack.

In 1797, the town contained approximately 30 houses, a courthouse, and a jail. In 1800, the Riverview Cemetery was established. In 1806, a school, the Rural Academy, was established. In 1807, Clarksville was incorporated.

In 1815, the Clarksville Chronicle newspaper was publiched. In 1817, Mt. Olive Cemetery African American burial ground was established. In 1819, the town had 22 stores, including a silversmith and a bakery. In 1820, steamboats began arriving and brought sugar, coffe, glass, and more. In 1829, a bridge was built over the Red River. It connected Clarksville to New Providence.

In 1830, a brick building, that served as a stagecoach stop and a post office, was built. In 1842, a formal market for the sale of tobacco was establish. In 1845, warehouses for inspection and sale of tobacco were fully operational. In 1850, Clarksville's tobacco was the most famous in the markets of England, France, Germany, and Italy. In 1854 the Northern Bank (Regions Bank) was established in the town.

In 1855, Clarksville was incorporated as a city, and the Elephant Warehouse was built as a tobacco storage facility. In 1859, the railroad connected the city to Guthrie, Kentucky. The Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad began operating. In 1861, Fort Defiance was built by Confederate troops. In 1862, Fort Defiance was captured by Union forces.

In 1863, the Golden Hill Cemetery, an African American cemetery, was established. In 1869, the Clarksville Tobacco Leaf newspaper was in print. In 1872, the Greenwood Cemetary was established. In 1878, a fire destroyed 15 acres of the downtown business district, including the old courthouse. The construction of the new Montgomery County Courthouse started.

In 1879, the Tobacco Exchange, a five-story building near Public Square, was completed. It housed the Tobacco Board of Trade, offering offices, and salerooms. In 1885, a horse-drawn streetcars service began. In 1890, Clarksville Evening Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle newspaper was printed. In 1898, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center building was completed. It was originally built as a Federal post office and custom house to handle the large volume of foreign mail created by the city's international tobacco business.

In 1900, there were 7,924 people living in the city. In 1910, twelve inches of snow in a single day marked the heaviest single-day snowfall in the city's history. In 1912, the Lilian Theater was built. In 1913, the original Lilian Theater structure burned down. In 1914, the Lilian Theater was quickly rebuilt. In 1919, Mrs. Brenda Runyon and others established the Women's Bank of Tennessee.

In 1927, the public university, Austin Peay State University, was established. In 1928, the Capitol Theatre opened. In 1935, a U.S. Post Office and Federal Building was constructed. In 1937, a private airport was established. In 1940, the sprinter, international sports icon, Wilma Rudolph, was born in the city.

In 1941, WJZM radio began broadcasting, and the Roxy Theatre opened. In 1950, the Sunset Drive-In opened with space for 600 cars, offering double features and first-run movies throughout the summers. In 1954, WDXN radio began broadcasting, and the Clarksville Memorial Hospital was founded. In 1960, the airport became public as the Clarksville–Montgomery County Regional Airport.

In 1966, the Monkees had a hit song "Last Train to Clarksville". In 1973, the Dunbar Cave State Park was established. In 1999, a tornado destroyed large parts of the downtown area. In 2025, there were 190,229 people living in the city.