Dickson County Brief History

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The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill on October 25, 1803, creating Dickson County. Dickson County was formed from portions of Montgomery and Robertson counties. The county was named for William Dickson, a Nashville physician and statesman who served in Congress at the time. Although Dickson never lived in the county named for him, his relatives played roles in its early development. Dickson County was organized as the 25th of Tennessee's 95 counties.

It was on this tract of land that Robertson built the first iron works on Tennessee's frontier. In 1804, Robertson sold his furnace to Montgomery Bell, who became one of the state's wealthiest capitalists and industrialists. On August 4, 1804, an act of the Tennessee General Assembly created the Town of Charlotte to serve as “The Seat of Dickson County Government.” The county seat is named for Robertson's wife, Charlotte. The Town of Charlotte was the center of commerce, industry and government until the advent of the Civil War. With the completion of the railroad from Nashville to the Tennessee River at the end of the War, the focus shifted to the southern end of the county.

As taken from the Ragan Family's “Skits and Bits,” the following list includes some of the most significant dates in the county's history.

October 25, 1803 - The General Assembly passed an act creating Dickson County. The county was named in honor of Dr. William Dickson, a member of the United Sates Congress, elected in 1801 from Davidson County, at which time included Dickson County territory.

July 23, 1917 - A mass meeting was held in the Alamo Theatre in Dickson to raise $760 to pay for the surveying of the Bristol to Memphis Highway through Dickson County. The money was raised in less than 15 minutes by donations from those present at the meeting. State highway surveyors began surveying the route on Aug. 14, 1917. The building of this highway put the county along the route from New York to San Francisco known as the “Broadway of America,” now Highway 70.

November 4, 1952 - Frank G. Clement of Dickson was elected Governor of Tennessee for the first time. He served as governor from 1953-1959 and again from 1963-1967. His service performed years ago continues to benefit the citizens of Dickson County and the state of Tennessee to this day.

May 9, 1959 - The first Old Timers Day as we now know it was held in Dickson on a vacant lot on Church Street across from Ragan & Hamilton, General Contractors. The day was organized by several people, including Warren G. Medley, Vernon “Red” Hamilton, Henry V. Ragan. It was sponsored by Ragan & Hamilton. The oldest man attending was Joe Ferguson. He was 110 years old. The celebration has continued, uninterrupted, throughout the years and is held on the first Saturday in May.

December 9, 1968 - Announcement was made by Dickson County school officials that 80 acres of land had been purchased to build the new Dickson County Senior High School, bringing about the consolidation of Dickson, White Bluff and Charlotte high schools in 1972.

December 19, 2003 - After more than a decade of planning, the Water Authority of Dickson County (WADC) opened the state's most technologically advanced water treatment plant. It opened on the Cumberland River in northern Dickson County. The $29 million plant had the capacity to treat more than 20 million gallons of water per day.