History of Meigs County Tennessee United States of America

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Meigs County also was carved out of the territory ceded to the United States by the Cherokees in 1819. It was erected by act of the Legislature in 1836 and named for Return J. Meigs. This treaty is frequently spoken of as the Hiwassee Purchase. Meigs County was formed from parts of Rhea, Roane, Hamilton and McMinn counties.

Some romantic interest attaches to this county in connection with Sam Houston as it is supposed to have been the home of Chief Jolly of the Cherokees who adopted Sam Houston and with whom Houston spent much time when a boy. It is a tradition that the chief's home was on Jolly's Island at the mouth of Hiwassee River.

Under the treaty of 1819 the country north of Hiwassee River was opened to settlement and was attached to Rhea County until 1836. As the Tennessee River then divided Rhea County, an unsuccessful effort to create a new county had been made some years previously. Hon. Miles Vernon was a resident of what is now Meigs County and, being a member of the state Senate, became an active and finally successful advocate of the creation of the county desired. The act, as originally passed by the Senate, named the new county Vernon, in honor of Senator Vernon, and the county seat Reagan, after James Reagan, senator from McMinn County. The House of Representatives, however, changed these names and, during the discussion the name Dekalb was suggested for the county; but finally agreement was arrived at on Meigs for the county, and Decatur, in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur, for the county seat.

The act which created the county was approved January 21, 1836, and the first County Court was organized on May 2, 1836, at the house of John Stewart, three miles north of the present county seat, which was later located by commissioners appointed by the Legislature on May 16, 1836. This action took place at the residence of James Lillard and the site itself was on land donated by him and by Leonard Brooks. Money for erecting the first county buildings was raised by the sale of lots, and the expense in connection with the sale was $49.50, of which $1.50 was for ?liquor furnished by West at divers times.?

Statistics of Meigs County: Population, 1920, 6,077. Assessed valuation of taxable property, 1921, $2,056,327. Area, 200 square miles. Number of farms, 935. Railway mileage, none. Drained by the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers. Hiwassee River and valley lands are very fertile. Corn, wheat, oats, hay and live stock are staple products. Decatur, county seat, has a population of 142, and has a weekly newspaper, bank and flourishing commercial establishments. Scholastic population of county, 2,072; high schools, 1; elementary schools, 32.

From:
Moore, John Trotwood. Tennessee, The Volunteer State, 1769-1923. Vol. 1. Chicago, IL, USA: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1923.

History of Meigs County Tennessee

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