A Brief
History of Dickson County
The Tennessee General Assembly
passed a bill on Oct. 25, 1803, creating Dickson County. Dickson was formed
from Montgomery and Robertson counties. The county was named for William
Dickson, a Nashville physician and statesman who served in Congress at the
time. Although Dic
kson
never lived in the county named for him, his relatives played roles in its
early development.
Notable activity took place a
decade earlier when in 1793, James Robertson, the “father of Middle
Tennessee,” purchased land on Barton’s Creek. It was on this tract of land
that Robertson built the first iron works on Tennessee’s frontier. In 1804,
Robertson sold his furnace to Montgomery Bell, who became one of the state’s
wealthiest capitalist and industrialist.
The development of the iron industry in Dickson County did much to shape
the county in its early years. However, the building of the railroad in the
1860s, the building of the “Broadway of America,” now known as Highway 70,
and the construction of Interstate 40, all of which pass through the
southern portion of the county, have done much to shape the county over the
last 150 years.
The
following list includes some of the
most
significant dates in the county’s history.
June 21, 1793 – James Robertson, the “Father of Middle Tennessee,”
purchased 640 acres on Barton’s Creek from a private in the Revolutionary
War. It was on this tract of land that Robertson built an iron plantation
village – the first iron works on Tennessee’s frontier. The village, now
known as Cumberland Furnace, is the oldest community in the county.
October 25, 1803 – The General Assembly passed an act creating
Dickson County. The county was named in honor of Dr. William Dickson, a
member of the United Sates Congress, elected in 1801 from Davidson County,
at which time included Dickson County territory.
May 10, 1864 – The railroad was finished and the first train passed
through Dickson County headed to Lucas Harbor on the Tennessee River with a
load of Union troops. The military governor of Tennessee, Andrew Johnson,
was a passenger on the train. The completion of the railroad through the
southern part of the county brought about the development and growth of
towns like White Bluff, Burns and Dickson.
July 23, 1917 – A mass meeting was held in the Alamo Theatre in
Dickson to raise $760 to pay for the surveying of the Bristol to Memphis
Highway through Dickson County. The money was raised in less than 15 minutes
by donations from those present at the meeting. State highway surveyors
began surveying the route on Aug. 14, 1917. The building of this highway put
the county along the route from New York to San Francisco known as the
“Broadway of America,” now Highway 70.
December 14, 1923 – Under an effort led by the Dickson County Chamber
of Commerce, announcement was made that the citizens of Dickson had raised
enough money to construct a building for the American Cigar Company (later
known as the old Red Kap Building). Local citizens formed the Dickson
Development Company to recruit industry and they signed their names on the
line, as individuals, to pay for the construction of buildings on city land
for industries to lease. At that time, municipalities in Tennessee did not
have the power to lend their credit for the construction of buildings for
industry.
November 4, 1952 – Frank G. Clement of Dickson was elected Governor
of Tennessee for the first time. He served as governor from 1953-1959 and
again from 1963-1967. His service performed years ago continues to benefit
the citizens of Dickson County and the state of Tennessee to this day.
September 24, 1966-
Governor Frank G. Clement cut the ribbon at the Tennessee River Bridge on
the opening of the new superhighway I-40, linking East and West Tennessee.
The superhighway was started on September 18, 1958. Time of construction
east to west was eight years and one week.
May 9, 1959 – The first Old Timers Day as we now know it was held in
Dickson on a vacant lot on Church Street across from Ragan & Hamilton,
General Contractors. The day was organized by several people, including
Warren G. Medley, Vernon “Red” Hamilton, Henry V. Ragan. It was sponsored
by Ragan & Hamilton. The oldest man attending was Joe Ferguson. He was 110
years old. The celebration has continued, uninterrupted, throughout the
years and is held on the first Saturday in May.
June 2, 1965 – Hampton High School’s final graduation exercises were
held at eight o’clock in the evening. This event brought an end to
segregation in the county’s schools. The board of education adopted plans
for desegregation on May 6, 1965.
December 9, 1968 – Announcement was made by Dickson County school
officials that 80 acres of land had been purchased to build the new Dickson
County Senior High School, bringing about the consolidation of Dickson,
White Bluff and Charlotte high schools in 1972.
December 30, 1998 – The contract was let for work on the Dickson
County portion of the southwestern leg of State Route 840. It included 8.6
miles of interstate connecting to I-40 around the 177-mile marker in Dickson
County. The contract was for $47.6 million, the largest ever awarded by the
Department of Transportation as of that date.
December 19, 2003 – After more than a decade of planning, the Water
Authority of Dickson County (WADC) opened the state’s most technologically
advanced water treatment plant. It opened on the Cumberland River in
northern Dickson County. The $29 million plant had the capacity to treat
more than 20 million gallons of water per day.
