An 1821 act by the state of Tennessee's legislature created Henderson County, named for Colonel James Henderson who commanded Tennessee troops at the Battle of New Orleans. He had also been on General Andrew's staff in earlier military campaigns.
Shortly after the county's founding, a site near its center was selected to become the county seat. It was named Lexington in honor of Lexington, Massachusetts, where the first battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. In 1822, Samuel Wilson sold 63 acres of land to the commissioners. The site was quickly surveyed and the town laid out. Late that same year the first court house was buil. Lexington was incorporated in 1824 and by 1830 had a population of 260. Most merchandisewas hauled by wagon from various nearby towns on the Tennessee River. It usually took three days to make a round trip. For many years, the county was at an economic disadvantage since it had no navigable streams to transport products to market. The establishment of the first rail line through the county in the late 1800s opened the door to economic growth.
In June of 1861, as the Civil War began, Henderson County's citizens voted against secession. But as armies clashed, most in the area cast their support with the South. As the war progressed, both Union and Confederate regiments were recruited in the county. The most important fight to take place in Henderson County occurred December 31, 1862, at Parker's Crossroads. Having cut Union communication lines on a raid into West Tennessee, a Confederate calvary force of 1,800 men under the command of Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Dorrest camped the night of December 30 just northwest of the crossroads. Union troops were in pursuit of Forrest, and December 31 a 1,500-man brigade led by Col. Cyrus L. Dunham barred Forrest's line of march to the southeast. As the fight progressed, the Confederates forced the Federal troops to withdraw to a position south of the crossroads known as Red Mound.
Having surrounded the Union Force, Forrest was parlaying with Dunham for the surrender of the Union brigade when Col. John W. Fuller's Ohio Brigade arrived from the north and attacked Forrest's rear elements. When told he was between two Union brigades, Forrest's order was, "Charge them both ways!" With but 75 cavalrymen, he charged into the left flank of the Ohio Brigade, disrupting its attack and enabling the Confederate force to withdraw from the field and escape across the Tennessee River at Clifton.
OTHER HENDERSON COUNTY HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
- Andrew Jackson's men planted what has become North America's third largest pecan tree in what is now Natchez Trace Park.
- Davy Crockett of Alamo fame was Congressional Representative from the county. His campaign was conducted on foot while he reportedly visited each of is constituents to ask for their vote.
- People from all over the country came to Henderson County in the early 1900s to bathe in the medicinal waters at Hinson Springs, then the South's largest resort.
- One of the largest - if not the largest - person who ever lived resided in Henderson County. Mills Darden was over seven feet tall, and his maximum weight was more than 1,000 pounds. The graves of Darden, who died in 1857, and his wife are located in Henderson County and have been restored by the Beech River Watershed Development Authority.
Information courtesy of the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce.
