Jackson County History

Established by an Act of the Tennessee Legislature on November 06, 1801, Jackson County consisted of land that had been designated by the Six Indian Nations as Hunting Ground.  The river running through it was first called the Ouasioto; French explorers called it the Shavanon, and in 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker, an explorer for the Royal Land Company of Virginia, named the river the Cumberland.  In 1775, the Transylvania Company was organized to negotiate with the Cherokee Indians for the purchase of the country included between the Ohio, Kentucky, and Cumberland Rivers.  The treaty was signed in 1786, and settlers began migrating into the area.

Named in honor of Andrew Jackson, the newly designated county's area in 1801 covered all or part of twenty of the present Tennessee counties.  The first court was held in the residence of John Bowen on Roaring River.  Temporary county seats were used until 1806 when Williamsburg was designated the county seat.  Williamsburg was named for Sampson Williams, an early pioneer in the area.  In 1817, a more centrally located area was selected and Gainesborough was selected as the permanent county seat and was incorporated in 1820.  In the early years, river traffic was the most important means of travel, and with both the Cumberland and Roaring Rivers traversing the county, Gainesborough (now Gainesboro) was an important river port.  When the Cordell Hull Dam was built, the Cumberland River was flooded to make Cordell Hull Lake, and a deepwater port was established at Gainesboro with the anticipation that the river can once again become an important factor in the commercial interests of Jackson County.

 Over the past two hundred years, Jackson County has been home to many people;some who have stayed on the family farms that were established two centuries ago by their ancestors, others who stayed for a while and then traveled on to other parts of the country.  No matter where you travel, you may meet someone who says, My family is from Jackson County.  As one Jackson County native said:  For over 200 years the families of Jackson County have raised children to become:  Hard-working pioneer farmers, loving mothers and wives, preachers, elders, musicians, artists, doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, soldiers for the Confederacy (as well as the Union), brave defenders in World War I and II, servants for their country in Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East, leaders in the world of business, and hard workers in many other noble endeavors.

The Jackson County Historical Society is working with other organizations and citizens to provide information that is readily available regarding old court records, cemetery locations, old newspapers, and military information concerning Jackson County citizens.

JACKSON COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM houses books on genealogy, family history books, newspaper and magazine clippings, scrapbooks and family photograph albums.  A Cemetery Book written by Larry Mabry lists all of the cemeteries in Jackson County and some genealogical information; this book is also in the Charles Ralph Holland Library.

MICROFILM RECORDS of early newspapers, magazine articles, and census records can be found at the Charles Ralph Holland Library in Gainesboro.  The library also houses several books containing genealogical material and literary publications authored by Jackson County residents.  The library can be found at 205 West Hull Avenue; phone 931-268-9190.  Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday 10:30 until 3:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 until 3:00 p.m.

 THE JACKSON COUNTY ARCHIVES AND VETERANS HALL is located in the old jail building, at 104 Short St. in Gainesboro, TN. We house all Court records ranging from 1801 - 1997. Also our Veterans Hall is the first of its kind in Tennessee to display pictures of our county's Veterans. In addition to photos we have uniforms and memorabilia displayed in beautiful cases ranging from the Civil War through the Gulf War. It is quite a WOW moment to see. We are open Tuesday and Friday from 9:00am until 3:00pm and on Saturday from 9:00am until 12:00 noon. Admission is free. We can be contacted at (931) 268-9877