Finger in McNairy County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Birthplace of Buford Pusser Historic Site
Walking Tall
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 30, 2025
1. Birthplace of Buford Pusser Historic Site Marker
b. 12-12-1937
d. 8-21-1974
2.68 miles →
Erected 2019 by McNairy County Tourism and the McNairy County Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is December 12, 1937.
Location. 35° 19.839′ N, 88° 30.77′ W. Marker is in Finger, Tennessee, in McNairy County. It is at the intersection of Finger Leapwood Road (Tennessee Route 199) and North McCormick Road, on the right when traveling east on Finger Leapwood Road. The marker is at the southeast corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bethel Springs TN 38315, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Upper South, and in the Black Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Buford Pusser Childhood Homeplace (approx. 0.7 miles away); Buford Pusser Birthplace (approx. 2.1 miles away); Legendary Blind Fiddle Player and Sheriff Buford Pusser (approx. 3½ miles away); Liberty Church (approx. 5.3 miles away); Fielding Hurst and Purdy (approx. 6.9 miles away); Mark Perrin Lowrey (approx. 7.3 miles away); Elvis Presley Performs at Bethel Springs School (approx. 8½ miles away); Bethel Springs School (approx. 8½ miles away).
Also see . . . Buford Hayse Pusser (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: American police officer and politician who served as the sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee from 1964 to 1970 and constable of Adamsville from 1970 to 1972. His time in office inspired several books, songs, and movies, most notably Walking Tall.(Submitted on November 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Buford Pusser was born in Adamsville, McNairy County, Tennessee. Buford Pusser was a high-school football and basketball player and was 6 feet 6 inches tall. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps when he graduated from high school, but his service endedin boot camp when he was given a medical discharge for asthma.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 30, 20252. Birthplace of Buford Pusser Historic Site MarkerLooking east along Finger Leapwood Road (Tennessee Route 199).
In 1957, he moved to Chicago, where he was a local wrestler known as "Buford the Bull". Pusser returned home in 1962 and in September he was elected Adamsville's police chief and constable. In 1964, Pusser ran against incumbent Democratic sheriff James Dickey as the Republican Party's nominee. After Dickey was killed in an auto accident, Pusser was elected sheriff. He was the youngest sheriff in Tennessee's history. Pusser promptly began trying to eliminate the Dixie Mafia and the State Line Mob.
Buford Pusser died on August 21, 1974, of injuries sustained in a one-car automobile wreck 4 miles west of Adamsville. Earlier that day, he had contracted with Bing Crosby Productions in Memphis to portray himself in the sequel to Walking Tall. Returning home alone that evening from the McNairy County Fair in his specially modified Corvette, Pusser struck an embankment at high speed and was ejected from the vehicle.
Local speculation regarding the cause of the accident included rumors of sabotage to the steering mechanism and the tie rods. The Tennessee state trooper who responded to the accident, Paul Ervin, later became the sheriff of McNairy County. Ervin claimed that Pusser's death was caused by drunk driving without a seat belt. No autopsy of Pusser's body was performed. As sheriff, Pusser was credited with surviving seven stabbings and eight shootings.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 111 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
