The New International Encyclopædia/Jackson (Tennessee)

JACKSON. A city and the county-seat of Madison County, Tenn., 85 miles northeast of Memphis; on the south fork of the Forked Deer River, and on the Illinois Central, the Mobile and Ohio, and the Nashville, Chattanooga and Saint Louis railroads (Map: Tennessee, C 5). The Southwestern Baptist University, Lane University, and the Memphis Conference Female Institute are situated here, and there are public and collegiate libraries. Highland Park is a place of scenic interest and a summer amusement resort. The city carries on an extensive cotton trade, marketing annually 50,000 bales; and among its industrial establishments are cotton and cotton-seed oil mills, boiler and engine works, furniture, heading, spoke, skewer, plow, sewing-machine, and carriage factories, grain-mills, woolen-mills, and a trousers factory. The cultivation of fruits and vegetables is largely carried on in this vicinity. Settled in 1810, Jackson was incorporated in 1854. The charter of that year, with subsequent amendments, provides for a government by a mayor, elected biennially, and a council which controls appointments to all subordinate administrative offices, excepting those of recorder and tax collector. The city owns and operates its water-works and electric street-lighting plant. Population, in 1890, 10,039; in 1900, 14,511.