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Perry County, Tennessee
Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,366, with an average population density of 20.2 persons per square mile (7.8 persons/km2), making it the least densely populated county in Tennessee. Its county seat and largest town is Linden. The county is named after American naval commander and War of 1812 hero Oliver Hazard Perry.
In 1806, the Cherokee ceded to the United States the land that would later become Perry County in the Treaty of Washington. The county was established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1819 from parts of Wayne County, Hickman County, and Humphreys County. In 1845, the portions of Perry County located west of the Tennessee River were split off to form Decatur County.
Agriculture and forestry are the largest components of the local economy, supplemented by light industry and tourism. Perry County is one of the most economically disadvantaged counties in the state. It was severely impacted by the Great Recession of 2008, at one point having the second highest unemployment rate in the United States, and as of 2020[update] continues to lag behind the rest of the state in various economic indicators, including income inequality and poverty rates. Transportation infrastructure is limited, and no railroads, commercial airports, or freeways are present in the county.
Over 80 percent of the county is forested. The county's terrain is largely defined by its two major rivers, the Buffalo and the Tennessee, and features ridges and valleys that form tributaries to the rivers. Agriculture and outdoor recreation benefit from plentiful fresh water sources, fertile crop land, and abundant wildlife. Mousetail Landing State Park is the largest protected area in the county and a significant driver of nature tourism in the region.
Archaeological evidence suggests a significant population of mound building Native Americans in the county, with several mounds located near the Tennessee River at Lady's Bluff. One of the largest mounds in the state was built between 1000 and 1300 CE in the county on Cedar Creek. Though it has been reduced in size due to erosion and agricultural activity, it still measures approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) high and 120 feet (37 m) in circumference. Archaeological surveys conducted in the 1970s and 1980s discovered evidence of early Archaic through late Woodland settlement concentrated in bottomland (low-lying alluvial land) in the Tennessee River basin near Mousetail Landing State Park, with evidence of Paleoindian occupation in one site. More recently, shore erosion associated with increased traffic on the river has exposed burial sites and middens associated with pre-European settlement in the park. Arrowheads and spear tips associated the Mississippian, Woodland, and Copena cultures have been found along the Tennessee River tributaries in the western half of the county. One example of ancient Native American statuary, an 8 inches (20 cm) tall female figure unearthed prior to 1868 near a mound in the county, is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
On January 7, 1806, with the signing of the Treaty of Washington, the Cherokee ceded to the United States a large tract of territory in the south-central portion of Tennessee that included the area that would become Perry County. Permanent settlement by people of European descent along with enslaved people of African descent began shortly after this treaty was ratified. The area was found to have very productive bottomland with an abundance of water, timber, and wild game. The earliest settlers likely arrived from nearby counties in Middle Tennessee, although some immigrated to the area from North Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Between 1810 and 1812, the first gristmill in the area was established on Cane Creek. The first known birth of a person of European descent in the area occurred in 1818 along Toms Creek. Some of the early settlers were veterans of the War of 1812, and some had probably received land grants in the area from the state of North Carolina for service in the American Revolution. It is likely the first settlers arrived via the Tennessee River based on the location of the first settlements being located near natural river landings.
In 1819, the Tennessee General Assembly passed an act providing:
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Perry County, Tennessee
Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,366, with an average population density of 20.2 persons per square mile (7.8 persons/km2), making it the least densely populated county in Tennessee. Its county seat and largest town is Linden. The county is named after American naval commander and War of 1812 hero Oliver Hazard Perry.
In 1806, the Cherokee ceded to the United States the land that would later become Perry County in the Treaty of Washington. The county was established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1819 from parts of Wayne County, Hickman County, and Humphreys County. In 1845, the portions of Perry County located west of the Tennessee River were split off to form Decatur County.
Agriculture and forestry are the largest components of the local economy, supplemented by light industry and tourism. Perry County is one of the most economically disadvantaged counties in the state. It was severely impacted by the Great Recession of 2008, at one point having the second highest unemployment rate in the United States, and as of 2020[update] continues to lag behind the rest of the state in various economic indicators, including income inequality and poverty rates. Transportation infrastructure is limited, and no railroads, commercial airports, or freeways are present in the county.
Over 80 percent of the county is forested. The county's terrain is largely defined by its two major rivers, the Buffalo and the Tennessee, and features ridges and valleys that form tributaries to the rivers. Agriculture and outdoor recreation benefit from plentiful fresh water sources, fertile crop land, and abundant wildlife. Mousetail Landing State Park is the largest protected area in the county and a significant driver of nature tourism in the region.
Archaeological evidence suggests a significant population of mound building Native Americans in the county, with several mounds located near the Tennessee River at Lady's Bluff. One of the largest mounds in the state was built between 1000 and 1300 CE in the county on Cedar Creek. Though it has been reduced in size due to erosion and agricultural activity, it still measures approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) high and 120 feet (37 m) in circumference. Archaeological surveys conducted in the 1970s and 1980s discovered evidence of early Archaic through late Woodland settlement concentrated in bottomland (low-lying alluvial land) in the Tennessee River basin near Mousetail Landing State Park, with evidence of Paleoindian occupation in one site. More recently, shore erosion associated with increased traffic on the river has exposed burial sites and middens associated with pre-European settlement in the park. Arrowheads and spear tips associated the Mississippian, Woodland, and Copena cultures have been found along the Tennessee River tributaries in the western half of the county. One example of ancient Native American statuary, an 8 inches (20 cm) tall female figure unearthed prior to 1868 near a mound in the county, is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
On January 7, 1806, with the signing of the Treaty of Washington, the Cherokee ceded to the United States a large tract of territory in the south-central portion of Tennessee that included the area that would become Perry County. Permanent settlement by people of European descent along with enslaved people of African descent began shortly after this treaty was ratified. The area was found to have very productive bottomland with an abundance of water, timber, and wild game. The earliest settlers likely arrived from nearby counties in Middle Tennessee, although some immigrated to the area from North Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Between 1810 and 1812, the first gristmill in the area was established on Cane Creek. The first known birth of a person of European descent in the area occurred in 1818 along Toms Creek. Some of the early settlers were veterans of the War of 1812, and some had probably received land grants in the area from the state of North Carolina for service in the American Revolution. It is likely the first settlers arrived via the Tennessee River based on the location of the first settlements being located near natural river landings.
In 1819, the Tennessee General Assembly passed an act providing: