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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)Weakley County, Tennessee
Weakley County Education, Geography, and History
Weakley County is a county located in the northwest of the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 35,021. Its
county seat is Dresden, and its largest city is Martin, the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The county was established by the
Tennessee General Assembly on October 21, 1823, and is named for U. S. Congressman Robert Weakley (1764–1845).
Weakley County comprises the Martin, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Weakley County Name
Named in honor of Robert Weakley (1764-1845), Revolutionary War soldier, state legislator, US congressman, US commissioner to treat with Chickasaws, 1834 Tennessee Constitutional Convention delegate.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
History of Weakley County
Created 1823 from Indian lands; named in honor of Robert Weakley (1764-1845), Revolutionary War soldier, state legislator, US congressman, US commissioner to treat with Chickasaws, 1834 Tennessee Constitutional Convention delegate.
Weakley County was formed in 1823 from Indian lands (Acts of Tennessee 1823, Chapter 112).
There was a fire at the Weakley County courthouse in 1948.
Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
Weakley County is located on the Plateau Slope of West Tennessee. The north, middle, and south forks of the Obion
River and its tributaries drain the land westward to the Mississippi River. It is bounded on the north by the state
of Kentucky, on the east by Henry County, on the south by Carroll and Gibson counties, and on the west by Obion
County. Weakley County covers 576 square miles, having lost some of its land to Gibson County in 1837 and to Obion
County in 1870.
Weakley County was established October 23, 1823, and named for Robert Weakley II, Speaker of the Tennessee Senate.
By early 1825 the organization of the county was completed, and the town of Dresden had been surveyed and platted by
Mears Warner to contain a public square and ninety lots. In 1835 the general assembly divided the county into twelve
voting districts to elect justices of the peace and constables. By 1843 two new districts had been added.
The first circuit court was held in a log house on the courtyard. It was replaced in 1827 by a brick courthouse.
When that structure became too small, it was replaced by a two-story brick structure in 1852. This building was
destroyed by fire in 1948 and replaced in 1950 with a four-story building, including basement, constructed of
Alabama limestone, designed by the Nashville firm Marr and Holman. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture:
WEAKLEY COUNTY
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 582 square miles (1,507 km2), of which, 580
square miles (1,503 km2) of it is land and 2 square miles (4 km2) of it (0.28%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Graves County, Kentucky (north)
- Henry County (east)
- Carroll County (southeast)
- Gibson County (southwest)
- Obion County (west)
Education
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