Originally a Chickasaw village, it was settled by American pioneers around 1819, and incorporated in 1829; in January 1844, it was sufficiently populated that an academy was incorporated by the Tennessee General Assembly. A female academy was later opened there by the Presbyterians. There are four Chickasaw Indian mounds just out of Denmark: Memphis State University is carbon dating items from this site and the date is 1000 AD. The Chickasaw village here had about 500 inhabitants. It is on the Estonallie Indian Trail from North Carolina. It was settled after the 1818 Treaty with the Chickasaw Indians and Andrew Jackson. The Denmark Presbyterian Church was organized here in 1823 and the present building was built in 1854. The Big Black Creek Baptist Church was organized in 1820 by Obediah Dodson. Estonallie means, "Here we cross" in the Chickasaw language, the crossing being on the Hatchie River. "Hatchie" means river in the Chickasaw language. Estonallie was also a favorite river crossing for General Nathan Bedford Forrest, he was here when he was promoted to Brig. General. At one time Denmark was larger than Memphis or Jackson, Tennessee. The town's economy began to decline in the mid- to late 19th century, when it was bypassed by all of the railroads built through Madison County. By the mid-20th century, the city had declined significantly. In 1983, the General Assembly passed a statute providing for the forfeiting of the municipal charter of any city with a population under 100, for failure to exercise corporate powers. Denmark's charter was forfeited on April 28, 1983 by a chancery courtorder pursuant to this provision. Denmark was the location of Madison County's West High School, which in 1992 was merged into South Side High School, as part of a merger of the Jackson and Madison County school systems. Two schools remain in Denmark; Denmark Elementary and Denmark Middle School. The Battle of Britton's Lane during the American Civil War took place near Denmark. The Battle field is four miles south of the Denmark on the Britton Lane Rd. The 30th Illinois camped on the church grounds the night before the battle, and the night of the battle the Southern troops camped on its ground and put their prisoners up stairs in the Masonic Lodge. This lodge was organized in 1847. The Church now belongs to The Big Black Creek Historical Association and has been restored, it was built in 1854. See: www.bigblackcreekhistorical.com A devastating tornado on October 14, 1909 destroyed a good part of the town. Another, in 2003, was similarly destructive to its counterpart of a century before.
Demographics
The population of Denmark was 1174 in the 2010 Census, and is over 70% African American.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Denmark has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
