Trousdale County, Tennessee

Trousdale County Education, Geography, and History

Trousdale County, also known as Hartsville/Trousdale County, is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 7,870. Its county seat is Hartsville, with which it shares a consolidated city-county government. With an area of just 117 square miles (300 km²), it is Tennessee's smallest county.

Trousdale County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area, although it is located just beyond the ring of "bedroom communities" in the Nashville metropolitan area.

Etymology - Origin of Trousdale County Name

Named in honor of William Trousdale (1790-1872), "War Horse of Sumner County," Creek and Mexican War soldier and officer, state senator and governor of Tennessee, US minister to Brazil.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

History of Trousdale County

Created 1870 from Wilson, Macon, Smith and Sumner counties; named in honor of William Trousdale (1790-1872), "War Horse of Sumner County," Creek and Mexican War soldier and officer, state senator and governor of Tennessee, US minister to Brazil.

Trousdale County was formed in 1870 from parts of Macon, Smith, Sumner and Wilson counties. (Public Acts of Tennessee 1870, Chapter 27).

There were fires at the Trousdale County courthouse in 1874, 1877, 1900, 1902 and 1905. There have been multiple floods at the courthouse, including 1927.

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
The first county to be created after the Civil War, Trousdale County was named in honor of Governor William Trousdale. With just 110 square miles of area, it is also the smallest of Tennessee's ninety-five counties. The general assembly established Trousdale County in 1870 when it carved the new jurisdiction from portions of Macon, Smith, Sumner, and Wilson Counties. Despite the county's late creation, the present-day county seat of Hartsville is one of the Upper Cumberland region's oldest communities.

Settlers traveling down the Cumberland River and over the Fort Blount Trail began arriving in present-day Trousdale County in the late 1700s. Originally known as Damascus, Hartsville traces its beginnings to 1795 when several families built their homes on the east side of Little Goose Creek. Two years later one of these families, the Donohos, built a grist mill. Another pioneer family, the Harts, built a ferry crossing on the Cumberland in 1798. By promoting settlement on the west side of Goose Creek, the Harts also helped to overshadow Damascus. With the establishment of a post office in 1807, inhabitants renamed the community Hartsville. Other antebellum communities in Trousdale County include Beech Grove, Dixon Creek, Halltown, Providence, Willard, and Willow Grove. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: TROUSDALE COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 117 square miles (302 km²), of which, 114 square miles (296 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) of it (2.06%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Macon County (north)
• Smith County (east)
• Wilson County (south)
• Sumner County (west)

Education

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