Dickson County, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dickson County
U.S. county
Dickson County Courthouse in Charlotte
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	October 25, 1803
Named for	William Dickson
Seat	Charlotte
Largest city	Dickson
Area
• Total	491 sq mi (1,270 km2)
• Land	490 sq mi (1,300 km2)
• Water	1.4 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	54,315
• Estimate  (2023)	56,729
• Density	111/sq mi (43/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	615
Congressional district	7th

Dickson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,315. Its county seat is Charlotte. Dickson County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Dickson County is home to Tennessee's oldest courthouse in continuous use, built in 1835. This is the second courthouse in Charlotte as the first one, a log building, was destroyed in the Tornado of 1833, which destroyed all but one building on the courthouse square.

History

Charlotte, Dickson County's capital, was built on 50 acres of land purchased from Charles Stewart. Charlotte was nearly entirely destroyed after a tornado occurred within its city limits, decimating its jail, courthouse, & roughly 80% of the county's records.

On October 25, 1803, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill creating Dickson County, the 25th of Tennessee's 95 counties. It was formed from parts of Montgomery and Robertson counties, and was named for William Dickson, a Nashville physician then serving in the United States Congress. The first court justices included Montgomery Bell, William Doak, William Russell, Sterling Brewer, Gabriel Allen, Lemuel Harvey, Jesse Craft, Richard C. Napier, and William Teas. The county was organized on March 19, 1804, at the home of Robert Nesbitt, and later sessions of the court were held at various county officials' homes until a courthouse was constructed in 1810.

Dickson County was part of the Military Reserve and was widely settled among the Piney and Cumberland rivers. Initially, cotton was among the county's predominant industries before rye, oats, corn and tobacco had overtaken it. A cotton gin was constructed by Robert Jarman in 1807.

General James Robertson built the first ironworks in west Tennessee in Dickson County. Robertson sold his furnace in 1804 to Montgomery Bell who later sold it to Anthony Wayne Van Leer(1769–1855), who the town Vanleer, TN is named after. Van Leer's family was noted in the anti-slavery cause. Other important iron manufacturers included Anthony and Bernard Van Leer and George F. and Richard C. Napier. Iron production was chiefly accomplished through slave labor. Although iron production declined in importance in the post-Civil War period, the furnace was still in production in the early 1940s.

Though a county school board was established in 1807, public education received little government support during the nineteenth century. Among the county's early schools were Tracy Academy, Charlotte Female School, Alexander Campbell School, Edgewood Academy and Normal College, Dickson Academy, Dickson Normal School, Glenwylde Academy, and Ruskin Cave College.

The county voted by a wide margin to join the Confederacy on June 8, 1861. Six infantry companies and a battery of artillery were sent to the south by Dickson County. For the guerrilla forces, Yellow Creek and what is now Cumberland Furnace were favorite rendezvous points. No major confrontations had occurred, but the railroad laid by the Union were subject to frequent attacks.

The Nashville and Northwestern Railroads which were constructed through the county's southern portion became a magnet for migrants from the Great Lakes & Great Plains, who settled in the new railroad towns of Dickson (originally called Sneedville), Tennessee City, White Bluff, and Burns. After two railroad lines were further constructed through Dickson, it became the county's hub for the vast majority of railroad travel, and, by the early 1900s was the commercial and cultural center of Dickson County. The growth of Dickson soon overtook that of Charlotte & produced infighting and debate amongst the county's government as to which town was a better county seat.

In July 1917, a mass meeting was held in the Alamo Theatre in Dickson to raise $760 (equivalent to $25,000 in 2016) 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 August 14, 1917. The building of this highway put the county along the route known as the “Broadway of America,” Highway 70.

The county's most prominent recreational area, Montgomery Bell State Park, was constructed by the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1942. After World War 2, administration of the park was transferred to the state.

The Ruskin Colony and The Coming Nation

Julius Wayland, publisher of The Coming Nation and the Appeal to Reason.

The Ruskin Colony (or Ruskin Commonwealth Association) was a 250-member, utopian socialist cooperative established in Dickson County in 1894. Initially located near Tennessee City, it relocated to what is now Ruskin. Internal conflict had brought about the dissolution of the colony by 1899.

The Coming Nation, a socialist communalist paper established by Julius Augustus Wayland in Greensburg, Indiana, was relocated to the Ruskin Colony. It was the forerunner of the Appeal to Reason, which later became a weekly political newspaper published in the American Midwest from 1895 until 1922. The Appeal to Reason was known for its politics, giving support to the Farmers' Alliance and People's Party, before becoming a mainstay of the Socialist Party of America following its establishment in 1901. Using a network of highly motivated volunteers known as the "Appeal Army" to increase its subscription sales, the Appeal's paid circulation climbed to over a quarter million by 1906, and half a million by 1910, making it the largest-circulation socialist newspaper in American history.

Governor Frank G. Clement

On November 4, 1952, Frank G. Clement (1920–1969) of Dickson was elected Governor of Tennessee. He served as governor from 1953 to 1959, and again from 1963 to 1967. Known for his energetic speaking ability, he delivered the keynote address at the 1956 Democratic National Convention. The Hotel Halbrook, where Clement was born, still stands in Dickson, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the Hotel operates as the Clement Railroad Hotel Museum.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 491 square miles (1,270 km²), of which 490 square miles (1,300 km²) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Dickson County is bordered on the northeast by the Cumberland River. The Harpeth River passes along the county's eastern border.

Ruskin Cave, site of the former socialist colony, is located 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Dickson.

Adjacent counties

• Montgomery County (north)
• Cheatham County (east)
• Williamson County (southeast)
• Hickman County (south)
• Humphreys County (southwest)
• Houston County (northwest)

State protected areas

• Cheatham Lake Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Hotel Halbrook Railroad and Local History Museum (state historic site)
• Montgomery Bell State Natural Area
• Montgomery Bell State Park

Demographics

Age pyramid Dickson County

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 54,315 people, 19,198 households, and 13,030 families residing in the county.

Education

The Dickson County School District serves the entirety of the county. Since 2024, the current Director of Schools is Dr. Christie Southerland.

Serving around 8,500 students, the Dickson County School System ranks 23rd in student population among 142 school districts in Tennessee. The District employs around 1,200 people.

Board of education

The Dickson County Board of Education is a committee of six elected officials responsible for governing the counties' educational system. Each member represents one of the six districts that make up Dickson County. The Board was created and empowered by State Law with authority to oversee the operation of Dickson County Schools. The Board meets every 4th Thursday of the month unless otherwise noted.

The Board chooses the Director of Schools. Dr. Christie Southerland is the Director of Schools and has been in that position since 2024.

History

Prior to the 1920s, numerous private high schools and colleges existed in Dickson County. These included the Tracy Academy, Charlotte Female School, Alexander Campbell School, Edgewood Academy and Normal College, the Dickson Academy, Dickson Normal School (where Hattie Carraway, the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, was educated), Glenwylde Academy, and Ruskin Cave College. Most of these closed before or during the Great Depression. As is typical of most Tennessee counties, all public schools of the county are currently operated by a single county-wide school district.

Schools

The Dickson County Board of Education operates 16 schools.

Elementary Schools

• Centennial
• Charlotte
• Dickson
• Oakmont
• The Discovery School
• Sullivan
• Stuart-Burns
• Vanleer
• White Bluff

Middle Schools

• Charlotte
• Burns
• Dickson
• William James

High Schools

• Creek Wood
• Dickson County

Alternative School

• New Directions Academy

Higher Education

Dickson County is home to two campuses for higher education.

The Tennessee College of Applied Technology – Dickson, under the Tennessee Board of Regents, provides career and technical education programs. Some programs include administrative office technology, automotive technology, computer information technology, cosmetology, various health programs (dental, nursing, etc.), digital graphic design, HVAC/refrigeration, mechatronics, and welding, among many others.

Nashville State Community College maintains a satellite campus in Dickson, offering associate degrees to prepare students to transfer to four-year universities or enter the workforce.

Communities

City

• Dickson

Towns

• Burns
• Charlotte (county seat)
• Slayden
• Vanleer
• White Bluff

Unincorporated communities

• Abiff
• Bellsburg
• Cumberland Furnace
• Promise Land
• Tennessee City

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Dickson para niños