Hamblen County, Tennessee

Hamblen County Education, Geography, and History

Hamblen County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 62,544. Its county seat is Morristown.

Hamblen County is part of the Morristown, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville, TN Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Hamblen County Name

Named in honor of Hezekiah Hamblen (1775- 1854), early settler, landowner, attorney and member of the Hawkins County circuit and county courts for many years.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

History of Hamblen County

Created 1870 from Jefferson, Grainger and Greene counties; named in honor of Hezekiah Hamblen (1775- 1854), early settler, landowner, attorney and member of the Hawkins County circuit and county courts for many years.

Hamblen County was formed in 1870 from Grainger, Hawkins and Jefferson counties. (Acts of Tennessee 1870 [Extra Session], Chapter 6).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
The third smallest in area among the ninety-five Tennessee counties, Hamblen County is located between the Holston and the Nolichucky Rivers in a fertile, well-watered valley sheltered from the north winds by Clinch Mountain and from southern storms by the Smoky Mountains.

Hamblen County was formed in 1870 from parts of Jefferson, Grainger, and Hawkins Counties. After much controversy, the county was named for Hezekiah Hamblen, a lawyer in Hawkins County. Morristown, which was incorporated in 1855, was named county seat, but it would be four years before a county courthouse was constructed. This building, designed by architect A. C. Bruce, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Cherokees, Chickasaws, Creeks, and Shawnees roamed the East Tennessee hills and valleys in the days before settlement began in what would become Hamblen County. In 1783 Robert McFarland and Alexander Outlaw migrated from Virginia to claim land grants on the "Bend of Chucky." Gideon Morris and his brothers, Daniel and Absalom, were the next settlers, and they took land grants within the present city limits of Morristown, providing the community with its name. More settlers arrived when a road connecting the stage routes from Abingdon, Virginia, and Knoxville was constructed in 1792. William Chaney, Thomas Daggett, Richard Thomas, and John Crockett were among those who lived along the road. By 1800 several communities had been established, including Russellville, Whitesburg, Springvale, and Panther Springs. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: HAMBLEN COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 176 square miles (455 km²), of which, 161 square miles (417 km²) of it is land and 15 square miles (38 km²) of it (8.39%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Hawkins County (northeast)
• Greene County (east)
• Cocke County (southeast)
• Jefferson County (southwest)
• Grainger County (west)

Education

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