Ardmore2023

LINCOLN COUNTY Lincoln County was carved from territory ceded to the U.S. by the Cherokee and Chickasaw Indian tribes. The Elk River, called “Chewalee” by the Indians, flows through Lincoln County. Established on Nov. 14, 1809, Lincoln County was named for Revolutionary War hero Gen. Benjamin Lincoln. The Tennessee state legislature appropriated funds to purchase 100 acres of land for the county seat from Mr. Ezekiel Norris for $100. The name “Faye eville” was chosen in honor of the many se lers who came here from Faye eville, No h Carolina. The first church in Faye eville was the Presbyterian Church, known at the time as the First Church of Faye eville. It was established in 1812. The first item to be considered by our pioneer forefathers was a lot for the county jail, or calaboose. It was built in 1810 by Ephrahim Parham. The first circuit cou was established in 1810 and the first chancery cou in 1835. During the War of 1812, Lincoln County furnished a company in Gen. Andrew Jackson’s army and pa icipated in the Ba le of New Orleans. In 1846, Lincoln County also furnished a company of men for the War of Mexico. Known as the Lincoln Guards, the company distinguished itself for gallantry at the ba les of Monterey, Veracruz and Cerro Gordo. During the Civil War, Lincoln County furnished 21 companies of infantrymen for the Confederate Army. A number of famous Americans, including Davy Crocke , Sam Houston, Daniel Boone and Gen. Andrew Jackson, have lived in or visited Lincoln County. The gravity-flow water system, located at what is now known as Wells Hill Park, was the first of its kind in the U.S., and engineers from as far away as New York came to see it in operation. PULASKI Pulaski, population 9,181, was cha ered in 1809. Pulaski was named for the Polish exile Count Casimir Pulaski. Count Pulaski, a victim of tyranny in his native Poland, joined the colonies in their fight for independence. He was wounded in an a ack on Savannah, Georgia, which resulted in his death on Oct. 11, 1779, and he was buried at sea. The first businesses addressed everyday needs, and the early years saw the establishment of mills, stores, blacksmith shops, tan yards, livery stables and taverns. Nathaniel Moody, one of

the commissioners, moved to Pulaski and in 1811 built the first mill. Located on Richland Creek at the mouth of Mill Lane, it has continued to be a mill to this day. By 1820, the town had welcomed many of the men who would be prominent business leaders for the next 40 years, including Thomas Ma in, Andrew Ballentine and Ben F. Ca er. Ma in, founder of Ma in College, became a merchant with a store on the southwest corner of the square (now the Peddler). Ma in was interested in nearly every enterprise in the county. He was first president of the C & S Railroad, had promoted use of Richland Creek for transpo ation and gave liberally to the building fund for the Methodist Church. He also owned a plantation, raised and dealt in co on, and became one of the richest men in town. Ballentine, a penniless Irishman when he came to America, moved his store from Robe son’s Fork to Pulaski and also became very wealthy. Ca er, a physician turned merchant, came to Pulaski from Elkton. The period from 1840 to 1860 was the prosperous era in Giles County. Many of the elegant houses in Pulaski were built during that period. But then the town had to deal with war. Still intact on Fo Hill, west of the city, are some of the original fo ifications the Union Army placed there when it occupied Pulaski early in the Civil War. Other remaining signs of Pulaski’s Civil War history include memorials to Sam Davis, the “Boy Hero of the Confederacy.” Accused of being a spy, he was hanged by Union forces in Pulaski on Nov. 27, 1863. A Civil War museum on East Hill at the place of execution, a statue on the south side of the public square, a city park and an avenue all bearing his name pay tribute to this young hero. A small park area in Minor Hill where Davis’ capture occurred, 12 miles south of Pulaski on Highway 11, has a marble marker recounting the event. Old First Street Cemetery was the City Cemetery from 1817 to 1888. The city of Pulaski, with a federal grant from HUD, has conve ed this cemetery into a historic park, now called “Old Graveyard Memorial Park.” Completed in 1968, it serves as a demonstration on a national level of what can be done with abandoned cemeteries to reclaim the more than half-million acres of land now in cemeteries in the U.S.

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