Dickson County was created by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly on November 3, 1803, from portions of Robertson and Montgomery counties. This new county was named for Dr. William Dickson, a Nashville physician, who also served as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and as a U.S. Congressman. Dickson County was the 25th of Tennessee's 95 counties.

 

The fertile soils and abundance of natural resources drew settlers to this area of the Western Highland Rim in the early 1790's. North Carolina Revolutionary War and Tennessee land grants assured large tracts of land at little of no cost to these pioneers. The discovery of iron ore provided the foundation for the area's first industrial development. James Robertson,"Father of Tennessee" discovered the first iron ore veins in Cumberland Furnace and established the first iron works in middle Tennessee.

Throughout it's 200 year history, Dickson County has produced many notable citizens who have significantly contributed to the development and a quality of life style on regional and state levels including a three-term governor, congressmen, state legislators, a Tennessee Supreme Court justice, a noted Tennessee historian, iron masters, as well as industrial, business leaders, and local residents. 
 

Although Charlotte is the County Seat, Dickson is the county’s largest city.  Downtown Dickson has many significant buildings with interesting stories to tell.

 

 

Portions of this text were researched and compiled by: 
Linda Parker, Dickson County Archivist 
Sherry Kilgore, Historian 
Excperts taken from the Dickson County Chamber of Commerce website