Republican "nub" in western Tennessee

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I noticed this awhile back while analyzing which counties have voted with their states the longest, but just assumed it was probably another pocket that didn't rely heavily on slavery and hated the state government like nearby areas in Alabama.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It's not just Eastern Tennessee that was voting Republican during the Solid South, there was also an L-shaped band of counties that started about two counties east of Shelby that had a noticable Republican presence. Wayne County appears to have always voted Republican and Henderson County voted Republican every election except 1912 when it went with Teddy Roosevelt over Taft. It's quite noticeable in the 1968 map as it stands out as some strong Nixon counties in contrast to the surrounding strong Wallace areas. 1948 is pretty notable too, Dewey got over 70% in some counties in this region yet FDR didn't get below 60% in any county west of Nashville not nearby and unaffected by this region, and got over 75% in most counties.

Any info on this area and what it's like? What about it would make it prone to Unionist sympathies?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What do you know, I replied to this thread the last time too. LOL.