Waverly

History

Waverly was established by Steven Pavatt as a stop along the stagecoach road between Nashville and Memphis in the early 19th century. Pavatt was a fan of the author Sir Walter Scott, and named the community after Scott's Waverley Novels. When Humphreys County was created in 1803, Reynoldsburg, located northwest of Waverly along the Tennessee River, was chosen as the county seat. However, when county lands on the west bank of the Tennessee split off to become part of the newly created Benton County in 1835, the Humphreys County seat was moved to Waverly, which had become the more central location in the county. A courthouse was built in 1836, and the town was officially incorporated in 1838. Like most of Middle and West Tennessee, Waverly was staunchly pro-Confederacy during the American Civil War. Humphreys County voted unanimously in favor of secession in 1861. Union troops occupied the town in 1863 to guard the railroad between White Bluff and Johnsonville (now Old Johnsonville), the latter being a Federal supply depot and transfer station. The Union troops managed to build a fort at the courthouse square, although they were constantly harassed by Confederate guerillas. On November 4, 1864, Confederate troops under Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked and destroyed the Federal depot in what became known as the Battle of Johnsonville. and a farm owned by Jesse James were both located near the Link farm site in the vicinity of Hurricane Mills. It also led to various strengthened standards and regulations (e.g., for design and construction of rail cars) by the National Transportation Safety Board. During the morning of August 21, 2021, very heavy rainfall and totals of over caused Trace Creek to overflow in the middle of town, leading to catastrophic flooding in Waverly.…

Geography

Waverly is located at (36.085847, −87.786917). The city is situated in the Trace Creek Valley, just over east of the creek's confluence with the Kentucky Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River. The low ridges that "wall in" Waverly to the north and south represent the fringe of the western section of the Highland Rim. Waverly is centered on the junction of U.S. Route 70, which connects the city to Nashville to the east and Memphis to the west, and State Route 13, which connects the city to Hurricane Mills and Interstate 40 to the south and the rural areas around Erin to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Mc Ewen High School
  High · McEwen · 524 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Waverly Central High School
  High · Waverly · 503 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Waverly Jr High School
  Middle · Waverly · 475 students · 17:1 ratio
• Mc Ewen Elementary
  Elementary · Mc Ewen · 451 students · 15:1 ratio
• Waverly Elementary
  Elementary · Waverly · 359 students · 11.2:1 ratio