Sequatchie County, Tennessee: History and Information

Sequatchie County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 14,112. Its county seat is Dunlap.

Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Sequatchie County Name

The name linked with a Cherokee word "sequachee," probably meaning "opossum, he grins or runs," also the name of a Cherokee chief for whom the Sequatchie Valley is named.

Demographics:

History of Sequatchie County

Created 1857 from Hamilton, Marion and Warren counties, the name linked with a Cherokee word "sequachee," probably meaning "opossum, he grins or runs," also the name of a Cherokee chief for whom the Sequatchie Valley is named.

Sequatchie County was formed in 1857 from Hamilton, Marion and Warren counties. Public Acts of Tennessee 1857-58, Chapter 11).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
On December 9, 1857, the Tennessee General Assembly created Sequatchie County from a section of Hamilton County and named Dunlap as the county seat. Europeans first settled in the area in 1806. The land in the Sequatchie Valley was highly attractive for agricultural purposes.

Throughout most of the nineteenth century, inhabitants of the county practiced subsistence agriculture, and there were a few prosperous farms located within the valley. The small farmers produced corn and raised livestock such as cattle, sheep, hogs, and poultry for themselves and the local market. Few opportunities existed to expand to a larger agricultural market until a road, Anderson Pike, was built in 1852 connecting the Sequatchie Valley to the newly constructed Western and Atlantic Railroad in Georgia. Anderson Pike was used mainly by farmers to transport their livestock out of the valley and to larger markets throughout the South. During the Civil War, in October 1863, Confederate Major General Joseph Wheeler led a cavalry raid against a Union supply train on Anderson Pike that was attempting to relieve besieged Federal troops at Chattanooga. Wheeler burned an estimated eight hundred to one thousand wagons and captured livestock. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: SEQUATCHIE COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 266 square miles (689 km²), of which, 266 square miles (689 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (0 km²) of it (0.07%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Education

Sequatchie County has a consolidated school system which is located in Dunlap. The system operates with a Superintendent and an elected School Board.

The Sequatchie County school system has three schools:

Griffith Elementary School (Grades: K-4th)
Sequatchie County Middle School (Grades: 5th-8th)
Sequatchie County High School (Grades: 9th-12th)

Tennessee State

Tennessee Counties