Tennessee State Route 19

State Route 19 (SR 19) or the Tina Turner Highway is a state highway in Haywood and Lauderdale counties in Tennessee, United States. State Route 19 is long.

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 SR 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway" in 2002 after singer Tina Turner, who spent her childhood in Nutbush. SR 19 is mentioned in her song "Nutbush City Limits". The highway 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.

Counties traversed by State Route 19 County mi km Lauderdale 26.17 42.12 Haywood 16.64 26.78

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 Interstate 40.

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, SR 19 runs northeast, parallel to the river, for about 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 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 , ending at Linda Rd in Ripley and continuing as primary SR 19.

Mississippi River Island No. 30, located at the west end of SR 19 near Golddust, 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 is designated as a primary highway.

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.

Historic State Route 19 is east of Nutbush in Haywood County, where a section of old SR 19 parallels present-day SR 19 just south of the route for about through a rural area along cotton fields and through the rolling hills of West Tennessee.

In 2002, SR 19 between Nutbush and Brownsville and was named "Tina Turner Highway" after singer Tina Turner, who spent her childhood in Nutbush.

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, SR 19 intersects SR 54 (Main Street). South of Brownsville, the route intersects US 70 and US 79. SR 19 and US 70/US 79 overlap for on the US 70/US 79 bypass south of Brownsville. At Jefferson Street, US 70/US 79 continue north, and SR 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 Lauderdale Chamber – 2007 Lauderdale County Tomato Festival Nutbush, Tennessee, childhood home of singer Tina Turner Trinity United Methodist Church, Nutbush Woodlawn Baptist Church and Cemetery, Nutbush

History Earthquake risk

SR 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 SR 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 , 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 existed in Nutbush at the junction of SR 180 and SR 19.

The Lauderdale County Tomato Festival is an annual celebration of the tomato close to SR 19 in Ripley. Lagoon Creek Peaking Facility Lagoon Creek Peaking Facility is run by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Nutbush not far from SR 19. From eight gas turbines the power plant generates electric power for the area in times of high demand.

Pioneer musicians The early black and white musicians and singers from the Nutbush churches along today's SR 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.A History of Tennessee Arts, University of Tennessee Press

Tina Turner Highway

Tina Turner spent her childhood in Nutbush, Tennessee, northwest of Brownsville. In 2002, SR 19 between Nutbush and Brownsville was officially designated "Tina Turner Highway" in honor of the singer.

"Nutbush City Limits" SR 19 is mentioned in the Tina Turner 1973 song "Nutbush City Limits". The song was produced by her husband Ike Turner as "Highway number nineteen".

According to the song, there was a speed limit of ("Twenty-five was the speed limit") on SR 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 present-day SR 19 just south of the main route for about , 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.

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

Woodlawn Baptist Church, a US historic location, is on Woodlawn Rd., about southeast of Nutbush, just north of old SR 19. The church was a family church of Tina Turner. She attended and sang in the choir during her youth. Her family members were church officials, musicians, and singers who are buried in the cemetery.Information by Sharon Norris, national preservationist, author and researcher of Black America Series: Haywood County Tennessee; relative of Tina Turner and native of Nutbush

Old SR 19 and SR 19 join again at Bobby Mann Rd, northwest of Brownsville.

Major intersections

Tennessee State Route 19

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