Chester County, Tennessee: History and Information

Chester County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 17,131. Its county seat is Henderson. The county was created in 1879 and organized in 1882.

Chester County is included in the Jackson, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Chester County Name

Named in honor of Robert I. Chester (1793-1892), quartermaster in the War of 1812, colonel in Texas war for independence, US marshall and state legislator.

Demographics:

History of Chester County

Chester County was the last county formed in Tennessee, created by the General Assembly in 1875 from adjacent parts of neighboring Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy, and Madison counties. This land was used to create a county named Wisdom County, but "Wisdom County" was never organized, and in March 1879 the Assembly repealed this and created Chester County out of the same land. Lawsuits by opponents of the creation of the new county delayed actual organization until 1882. Chester County was named in honor of Robert I. Chester (1793-1892), quartermaster in the War of 1812, colonel in Texas war for independence, US marshall and state legislator.

Chester County was formed in 1879 from Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy and Madison counties (Public Acts of Tennessee 1879, Chapter 42).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
The last county formed in Tennessee was Chester County, created by the Tennessee General Assembly from parts of neighboring Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy, and Madison Counties. In 1875 this land was used to create a county named Wisdom County, but Wisdom County was never organized, and in March 1879 the general assembly repealed this act and created Chester County out of the same land. Litigation brought on behalf of opponents of the new county delayed formal organization until 1882.

Chester County was named for Colonel Robert I. Chester, a quartermaster in the War of 1812, an early postmaster in Jackson, and a federal marshal for the Western District. The county seat, Henderson, was founded along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad line in the late 1850s and first known as Dayton. In 1860 Polk Bray opened the town's first store. The town name was later changed to Henderson Station and then Henderson shortly after the Civil War to honor Colonel James Henderson, a veteran of the War of 1812. Incorporated in 1901, Henderson is home to two twentieth-century county landmarks: the Classical Revival-style Chester County Courthouse (1913), which was used in scenes in the movie Walking Tall about McNairy County sheriff Buford Pusser and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and Freed-Hardeman University. In 1907 local businessmen asked educators A. G. Freed and N. B. Hardeman, who had taught at the earlier Georgie Robertson Christian College, to head a new school named the National Teachers' Normal and Business College. In 1919 the name changed to Freed-Hardeman College, and in 1990 this Church of Christ institution acquired university status. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: CHESTER COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 289 square miles (748 km²), of which, 289 square miles (747 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.08%) is water.

Chickasaw State Park is partially located in Chester County.

Neighboring Counties

Education

There are six schools in the Chester County School District. Chester County High School serves the whole county and holds grades 9-12. Chester County Junior High School holds grades 6 through 8 for the entire county. Chester County Middle School serves the whole county's students in grades 4 and 5. East Chester County Elementary School, West Chester County Elementary School, and Jacks Creek Elementary School all hold kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Tennessee State

Tennessee Counties