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Tennessee Counties
There are ninety-five counties in the State of Tennessee. The oldest county is Washington County, founded in 1777. The most recently formed county is Chester County (1879)Meigs County, Tennessee
Meigs County Education, Geography, and History
Meigs County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 11,753. Its county seat is Decatur
Etymology - Origin of Meigs County Name
Named in honor of Return Jonathan Meigs (1740-1823), Tennessee country pioneer, American Revolutionary officer who distinguished himself at Sag Harbor and Stony Point, and longtime Indian agent.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
History of Meigs County
Created 1836 from Rhea County; named in honor of Return Jonathan Meigs (1740-1823), Tennessee country pioneer, American Revolutionary officer who distinguished himself at Sag Harbor and Stony Point, and longtime Indian agent.
Meigs County was formed in 1836 from Rhea County (Acts of Tennessee 1835-36, Chapter 96).
There were fires at the Meigs County courthouse in 1904 and 1964.
Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
Created in 1836 from Rhea County, Meigs County is named for Return Jonathan Meigs (1740-1823), a colonel in the
American Revolutionary War and later an Indian agent from 1801 until his death in 1823. The county encompasses 195
square miles and is bounded on the west by the Tennessee River. The lower Hiwassee River crosses through the
southern portion of the county, where it enters the Tennessee. The county contains fertile bottom land and ample
timber, as well as a vein of iron ore.
The Tennessee River Valley was first inhabited by generations of Native Americans, and Meigs County contains many
prehistoric and Cherokee sites. Hiwassee Island, at the mouth of the Hiwassee River, is the site of a large
Mississippian Period town dating from the eleventh century A.D. and includes several temple mounds surrounding a
plaza. The Cherokees later occupied the island. In 1809-10 Sam Houston lived with Oolootek (John Jolly), leader of
three hundred Cherokees living on Hiwassee Island, also called Jolly's Island. Today the area is Hiwassee Island
Wildlife Refuge, noted for its use by migrating sand hill cranes.
In the Hiwassee Treaty of 1817 and the Calhoun Agreement of 1819, the Cherokees ceded the land on the east bank of
the Tennessee River north of the Hiwassee to Tennessee. The first settlements in the Meigs County area were in the
Ten Mile Valley in the north, while later families settled near the site of Decatur. The territory south of the
Hiwassee remained in the Ocoee District of the Cherokee nation and was not opened to white settlement until 1836.
Most of the Cherokee residents were removed as part of the Trail of Tears in 1838, crossing the Tennessee in Meigs
County at Blythe's Ferry. A few Cherokee residents remained, notably John Miller, Richard Taylor, Colonel Gideon
Morgan, and John Jolly. The Meigs County government, Tennessee Valley Authority, National Park Service, and
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency have planned a monument near the Hiwassee inscribed with names of the Cherokees
removed in 1838, as well as a walking trail along part of a removal route. Construction of the memorial and
surrounding park at the former site of Blythe Ferry began in 1998, and parts of the park are already open to the
public. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture:
MEIGS COUNTY
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 217 square miles (561 km2), of which, 195
square miles (505 km2) of it is land and 22 square miles (57 km2) of it (10.11%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Roane County, Tennessee (North)
- McMinn County, Tennessee (East)
- Bradley County, Tennessee (Southeast)
- Hamilton County, Tennessee (South)
- Rhea County, Tennessee (West)
Education
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