Hardin County, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hardin County
U.S. county
Hardin County Courthouse in Savannah
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	1819
Named for	Joseph Hardin, Sr.
Seat	Savannah
Largest city	Savannah
Area
• Total	596 sq mi (1,540 km2)
• Land	577 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	19 sq mi (50 km2)  3.2%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	26,831
• Density	45/sq mi (17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th

Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. The county seat is Savannah. Hardin County is located north of and along the borders of Mississippi and Alabama. The county was founded in November 1819 and named posthumously for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina; the State of Franklin; and the Southwest Territory. Hardin County was the site of the Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) during the Civil War.

History

The dedication plaque for the Savannah, TN courthouse which is dedicated to Col. Joseph Hardin.

The Hardin Expedition

Two parties of settlers (totaling 26) struck out from Knoxville, Tennessee in late spring of 1816 bound for the general area which would eventually become Savannah, Tennessee. The first party, traveling by boat, came by way of the Tennessee River, landing in May at "the easteward curve of the Tennessee" [sic] at Cerro Gordo.

The second, and larger, party had traversed overland and encountered several delays. Upon the arrival of the second group, the parties finally rejoined at Johnson Creek, near present day Savannah. It was now July, and the pioneers set about the laying down of the first permanent settlement by non-Native Americans in the area.

This second party was led by Joseph Hardin, Jr., son of Col. Joseph Hardin who had, before his death, accumulated several land grants to the area as rewards for his Revolutionary War service. Joseph, Jr. was accompanied on the trip by his brother, James Hardin. James was the founder of what would become the first county seat, Hardinville. The settlement was created in 1817 on nearby Hardin’s Creek —on the site of what was later renamed Old Town, Tennessee. Both men executed land grants in the area. They had fought alongside their father in the war and had been likewise rewarded with their own land patents, as well as inheriting some of their father's unclaimed grants.

Other settlers in the expedition continued further downriver, establishing another community at Saltillo, in 1817.

County creation

For eleven days after its initial establishment (in November 1819), the boundaries of Hardin County reached from Wayne County west to the Mississippi River. The establishment of then neighboring Shelby County and others continued to diminish the size of Hardin until it reached its present boundaries. The county was named for Revolutionary War veteran, Joseph Hardin, a former colonial assemblyman for the Province of North Carolina, Speaker of the House for the unrecognized State of Franklin and a territorial legislator of the Southwest Territory.

Civil War and Battle of Shiloh

Like several other counties along the Tennessee River, Hardin County was largely pro-Union during the Civil War, contrary to the generally pro-Confederate sympathies of West and Middle Tennessee. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Hardin County voted to remain in the Union by a margin of 1,051 to 498, being one of only eight counties in West or Middle Tennessee to support the Union. Earlier on February 9, 1861, Hardin County voters had voted against holding a secession convention by a margin of 791 to 395.

Hardin County was the site of the 1862 Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) during the Civil War. The battleground is several miles south of Savannah, and extends into Tishomingo County, Mississippi.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 596 square miles (1,540 km²), of which 577 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (3.2%) is water.

Hardin County is located in western southern Tennessee (although part of the county is east of the Tennessee River, the county is considered part of the "Grand Division" of West Tennessee). The county is divided into two nearly equal divisions by the Tennessee River, which enters about midway on the south side and passes out near the northeast corner, flowing northwards. The length of the county from north to south is about 30 miles, and its greatest width, from east to west, about 21.

Pickwick Dam and Lake

Adjacent counties

National protected area

• Shiloh National Military Park

State protected areas

• Dry Creek Wildlife Management Area
• Pickwick Landing State Park
• Walker Branch State Natural Area
• White Oak Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

Age pyramid Hardin County

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 26,831 people, 10,137 households, and 7,203 families residing in the county.

Education

Hardin County has one community and several city elementary schools, and also has a middle school. The county has one high school, Hardin County High School, whose sports teams are nicknamed "The Tigers". The Savannah-Hardin County Center, a branch campus of Jackson State Community College, has operated in the City of Savannah, offering an Associate of Science degree in General Studies, since 1998. The University of Memphis has occasionally offered classes at the Center in the past, but there were no classes scheduled there in the summer or fall of 2009. There is also the Tennessee Technology Center at Crump.

Hardin County Schools

• Hardin County High School
• Hardin County Middle School
• East Hardin Elementary School
• West Hardin Elementary School
• Northside Elementary School
• Pickwick Southside Elementary School
• Parris South Elementary School

Private Schools

• Savannah Christian Academy

Emergency services

Hardin County maintains its own Level 4 Trauma Center out of Hardin Medical Center in Savannah. Emergency medical services to Savannah and the surrounding county are provided by a paid 24/7 ambulance service based out of this hospital. Fire protection to the city of Savannah is provided by a 24-hour paid Fire Department based out of two stations, with five pieces of apparatus. The County of Hardin is protected by a combination of paid and volunteer Firefighter/First-Responder and Firefighter/EMT-IV level engine companies, based out of 15 Fire Districts and with approximately 60 pieces of apparatus. The county also maintains a disaster/mass casualty team and a HAZMAT Team.

Communities

Cities

• Adamsville (mostly in McNairy County)
• Crump
• Savannah (county seat)

Towns

• Milledgeville (partial)
• Saltillo

Census-designated places

• Olivet
• Walnut Grove

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost Town

• Hardinville

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Hardin (Tennessee) para niños