Tennessee State Route 19

State Route 19
Tina Turner Highway
SR 19; primary in red, secondary in blue
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length	42.81 mi[1] (68.90 km)
Existed	October 1, 1923[2]–present
Major junctions
West end	near the Mississippi River at Golddust
Major intersections	US 51 at Ripley SR 180 at Nutbush SR 54 / SR 87 at Brownsville US 70 / US 79 / SR 76 at Brownsville
East end	I-40 Exit 60 at Mercer Rd
Location
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Counties	Lauderdale Haywood
Highway system
Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State
← SR 18 → US 19

State Route 19 (SR 19) or the Tina Turner Highway is a state highway in Haywood and Lauderdale counties in Tennessee, United States.^[3][4] State Route 19 is 42.81 mi (69 km) long.^[1]

The Mississippi River valley with flood plains and bluffs, the rolling hills of Tennessee and cotton fields dominate the rural landscape of the area traversed by SR 19. Industries are present in the urban areas of Ripley and Brownsville.

A segment of State Route 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway" in 2002 after singer Tina Turner who spent her childhood in Nutbush.^[5][6][7] State Route 19 is mentioned in her song "Nutbush City Limits". State Route 19 is located on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a high earthquake risk. At the west end of the route, Island No. 30 of the Mississippi River was created by earthquake activity in the early 19th century, when the river changed course permanently.

Counties traversed

State Route 19 traverses the counties (west to east) shown in the table below.^[1]

Route description

State Route 19 begins in Golddust at the intersection of Crutcher Lake Road and Four Mile Lane. The first several miles of SR 19 traverse the Mississippi River valley with expansive flood plains and large farmland. SR 19 ascends a steep bluff and traverses the rolling hills of West Tennessee as it continues east through Ripley, Nutbush and Brownsville to reach its eastern terminus at I-40.^[3][4]

Mississippi River to Ripley

From Golddust in Lauderdale County all the way east to Ripley SR 19 is designated secondary. It intersects US 51 west of Ripley, east of the US 51 intersection the route continues designated primary.

Starting near the banks of the Mississippi River, State Route 19 runs northeast, parallel to the river, for about 5 mi (8 km) in the flood plains. It continues east, through the bluffs, then passing low cotton fields and hills until it reaches Ripley, also in Lauderdale County.

On a 1 mi (1.6 km) long bypass west of Ripley, SR 19 and US 51 overlap on the US 51 bypass. South of Ripley, at the southern end of the overlap with US 51, SR 19-Bypass continues eastbound for 2.5 mi (4 km), it ends at Linda Rd in Ripley and continues as primary State Route 19.

Mississippi River Island No. 30 – At the west end of State Route 19, near Golddust, Tennessee, Island No. 30 of the Mississippi River was created during the 1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes when the Mississippi River changed course permanently.

Ripley to Brownsville

Between Ripley in Lauderdale County and Brownsville in Haywood County the route it is designated primary.

The segment passes through a hilly landscape, dominated by cotton fields. From Ripley, SR 19 continues through the unincorporated community of Nutbush in Haywood County all the way to Brownsville.

In Nutbush, SR 180 starts, continuing north to Gates, Tennessee.

Historic State Route 19 – East of Nutbush in Haywood County, a section of Old SR 19 parallels State Route 19 just south of the route for about 5 mi (8 km) through a rural area along cotton fields and through the rolling hills of West Tennessee.^[8]

Tina Turner Highway – In 2002, State Route 19 between Nutbush and Brownsville and was named "Tina Turner Highway" after singer Tina Turner who spent her childhood in Nutbush.^[5][6][7]

Brownsville to Interstate 40

The segment of SR 19 east of Brownsville in Haywood County to the eastern terminus of SR 19 at I-40 Exit 60 (Mercer Road), also in Haywood County, is designated secondary.

In Brownsville State Route 19 intersects SR 54 (Main Street). South of Brownsville the route intersects US 70 and US 79. State Route 19 and US 70/US 79 overlap for 2 mi (3.2 km) on the US 70/US 79 bypass south of Brownsville. At Jefferson Street, US 70/US 79 continue north and State Route 19 leaves the overlap and continues east as secondary SR 19 all the way to I-40.

Industries are present along the route in the urban area between Brownsville and I-40. The agricultural landscape of the area east of Brownsville is dominated by cotton fields.

Points of interest

Points of interest along State Route 19 (west to east).

• Mississippi River
• Lauderdale County Tomato Festival, Ripley^[9]
• Nutbush, Tennessee, childhood home of singer Tina Turner
• Trinity United Methodist Church, Nutbush
• Woodlawn Baptist Church and Cemetery, Nutbush

History

Earthquake risk

State Route 19 is situated on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a high earthquake risk.

In 1811 and 1812 several earthquakes with an epicenter near New Madrid, Missouri caused permanent changes in the course of the Mississippi River in a wide area, including the Mississippi River valley in West Tennessee.

Mississippi River Island No. 30

At the western terminus of State Route 19, northwest of Golddust, Tennessee, Island No. 30 of the Mississippi River was created during the New Madrid earthquakes when the Mississippi River changed course permanently, shortening the river by about 1.5 mi (2,4 km), and cutting off part of Lauderdale County, Tennessee, placing it on the other side of the river, the Mississippi County, Arkansas side northeast of Osceola.

Agriculture and industry

After the abolition of slavery, sharecropping was the primary means of income for low income families in the area along SR 19. Mostly for the cultivation of cotton, land would be used by sharecroppers in return for a share of the crop to the landowner.

Modern agriculture

Modern machines like the cotton picker have made the manual cultivation obsolete over time as they took over the work from the hand laborers.

In 2006, a cotton-processing plant exists in Nutbush at the junction of SR 180 and State Route 19.

The Lauderdale County Tomato Festival is an annual celebration of the tomato close to State Route 19 in Ripley, Lauderdale County.

Lagoon Creek Peaking Facility

Lagoon Creek Peaking Facility is run by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Nutbush not far from State Route 19. From eight gas turbines the power plant generates electric power for the area in times of high demand.^[10][11]

Pioneer musicians

The early black and white musicians and singers from the Nutbush churches along today's State Route 19 recorded and influenced an international audience.

Nutbush is the birthplace and home community of black and white pioneer musicians and prominent recording artists such as Hambone Willie Newbern and Sleepy John Estes. Harmonica player Noah Lewis of Henning, Tennessee is buried in an area cemetery near Nutbush.^[12]

Tina Turner Highway

Tina Turner spent her childhood in Nutbush, Tennessee, 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Brownsville. In 2002, Tennessee State Route 19 between Nutbush and Brownsville was officially designated "Tina Turner Highway" in honor of the singer.^[5][6][7]

"Nutbush City Limits"

State Route 19 is mentioned in the Tina Turner song "Nutbush City Limits" (1973, produced by Ike Turner) as "Highway number nineteen".

According to the song, there was a speed limit of 25 mph (40 km/h) ("Twenty-five was the speed limit") on State Route 19 in the city of Nutbush at one time.

Historic State Route 19

East of Nutbush, in Haywood County, a section of Old SR 19 parallels State Route 19 just south of the main route for about 5 mi (8 km), covering about two-thirds of the distance from Nutbush to Brownsville on the old route through a rural area along cotton fields and through the rolling hills of West Tennessee.^[8]

Trinity United Methodist Church, founded in 1822, is located just south of Nutbush, along old State Route 19.

Woodlawn Baptist Church, a US historic location, is on Woodlawn Rd., ca. 3 mi (4,8 km) southeast of Nutbush, just north of old SR 19. The church was a family church of singer Tina Turner. She attended and sang in the choir growing up. Her family members were church officials, musicians and singers who are buried in the cemetery.^[13]

Old-State Route 19 and SR 19 join again at Bobby Mann Rd, 3 mi (4.8 km) northwest of Brownsville.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[14]	km	Destinations	Notes
Lauderdale	Golddust	0	0.0	Crutcher Lake Road / Great River Road south	Western terminus; SR 19 begins in secondary designation; Great River Road follows Crutcher Lake Road south to SR 87
	Ripley	19	31	US 51 north (Jefferson Davis Highway/SR 3) / Great River Road north – Gates, Halls	Western end of US 51 concurrency; eastern end of Great River Road concurrency
		20	32	US 51 south (Jefferson Davis Highway/SR 3) – Covington	Eastearn end of US 51 cocurrency; SR 19 changes to primary designation
		21	34	SR 209 (Washington Street) – Ripley, Henning
Haywood	Nutbush	35	56	SR 180 north (Forked Deer Rd) – Gates
		35.2	56.6	Old State Route 19 (east)
		36.4	58.6	Old State Route 19 (west)
	Brownsville	38.2	61.5	SR 87 west (Fulton Road) – Henning	To Fort Pillow State Park
		39	63	SR 54 (Main Street) – Covington, Brownsville
		40	64	US 70 west / US 79 south (Grand Avenue/SR 1) – Stanton	Western end of US 70/US 79/SR 1 concurrency
		42	68	SR 76 south (Anderson Avenue) to I-40 – Somerville	Western end of SR 76 northbound concurrency
		42.8	68.9	US 70 east / US 79 north (Dupree Street/SR 1/SR 76) – Bells, Jackson	Eastern end of US 70/US 79/SR 1/SR 76 concurrency; SR 19 turns secondary
				I-40 – Nashville, Memphis	Eastern terminus; I&8309;40 Exit 60; roadway continues as Mercer Road; SR 19 ends in secondary designation
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

• List of Tennessee state highways
• List of highways numbered 19
• Nutbush City Limits, (Tina Turner song)

References

Further reading

• West, Carroll Van & Duncan Binnicker, Margaret (2004). A History of Tennessee Arts. Knoxville, TN: The University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 1-57233-239-5.
• Norris, Sharon (2000). Black America Series: Haywood County Tennessee. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-0605-2.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tennessee State Route 19.

• Tennessee Department of Transportation
• Official Lauderdale County Website
• Haywood County Official Web Site

This page was last edited on 11 August 2023, at 08:46