South Guthrie, Tennessee

South Guthrie, Tennessee
Unincorporated community
The Guildfield Missionary Baptist Church located in the community.
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Coordinates: 36°38′28″N87°10′06″W / 36.641088°N 87.168289°W / 36.641088; -87.168289
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Montgomery
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	931

South Guthrie is an unincorporated rural community in Montgomery County, Tennessee, immediately south of the Kentucky state line. ^[1]

Geography

South Guthrie is adjacent to the city of Guthrie, Kentucky; essentially, it is the part of the Guthrie community located south of the state line. U.S. 41 is the primary route through the community.

History

In the Jim Crow era, South Guthrie was the African-American community associated with the white city of Guthrie, with the state line forming a dividing line between the rtwo. ^[1]

The community of Guthrie was established in 1868 and experienced early growth after a railroad junction was completed in 1870. South Guthrie, which grew up alongside Guthrie, was originally known as "Squig" according to local resident Clyde C. Kilgore. ^[2] It was also known by the nicknames "Squiggtown" and "Niggertown", the latter being a pejorative used by white residents of Guthrie. ^[1] Squig became known as "South Guthrie" around the time the South Guthrie Community Improvement Association raised US$27.85 for a gate to enclose the cemetery. ^[2]

In the early decades of the 20th century, residents of South Guthrie found industrial employment in a broom factory and a plant that made railroad ties. South Guthrie also had a small middle class of African-American professionals and benefited economically from African-American tobacco farmers in the surrounding "Black Patch" region. ^[1]

South Guthrie is still predominantly black, while Guthrie is predominantly white, although the divisions are no longer as sharply defined. ^[1]

The building that houses the South Guthrie community center was a Rosenwald school from construction in 1922 until 1968. ^{[1] [3]} It is the only surviving Rosenwald school building in Montgomery County out of the 22 once there. ^[4] The Guildfield Missionary Baptist Church, also built in 1922, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ^[1]

References

1. West, Carroll Van (January 29, 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Guildfield Missionary Baptist Church". Middle Tennessee State University, Center for Historic Preservation.
2. Burbidge, John, ed. (1988). "APPROACHES THAT WORK IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT" (PDF). Institute of Cultural Affairs International . K. G. Saur Verlag. pp. 365–366. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
3. "South Guthrie Community Center Rental Policies and Procedures". Montgomery County Government. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
4. Hicks, Mark (April 10, 2013). "South Guthrie project preserves history, adds meeting space". The Leaf Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee.