Slayden Community Center
Slayden
Slayden is named for a prominent family from Virginia. William Everett Slayden who settled there early in the 1800’s on Barton’s Creek and the Wood Valley area bought up land through government land grants. Timber drew early settlers to this northwest region of Dickson County, however, after land was cleared tobacco became a major economic crop.
The town was platted in1898 by Robert S. Stone. In 1913, by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly, the town was incorporated. The charter set the form of the community’s form of government and is still in use today. This charter for Slaydensview, then shortened to Slayden, occurred about ten years after the L & N Railroad built the northwest section of a spur line known as the Mineral Branch.
The railroad brought a certain amount of prosperity to Slayden providing means to transport local products to market. A stave mill, several saw mills, a tobacco factory and the Bank of Slayden, railroad depot and post office were in operation around the turn of the 20th century.
The first school was constructed in the 1890’s. It burned in 1929 and was rebuilt. Today it is the Slayden Community Center. This structure is one of the few remaining historic buildings left in the town. During the Great Depression the Mineral Branch was discontinued, and the L & N Railroad stopped all services. In 1936, the last tracks were taken up and a state highway eventually replaced this transportation route.
