Our History Editor’s note: The following is a brief overview of the history of Dickson County, gathered together by Alan Ragan using research, the Ragan Family’s Skits and Bits column – written by his grandfather Henry Ragan and now by Alan – and the family histories of longtime county residents.
Dickson County was born The Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill creating Dickson County from portions of Montgomery and Robertson counties on Oct. 25, 1803. The county, the 25th of Tennessee’s 95 counties, 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.
Nature spurs development The fertile soils and natural resources drew settlers to this area in the early 1790s. North Carolina, Revolutionary War and Tennessee land grants assured large tracts of land at little or no cost to these pioneers. The discovery of iron ore provided the foundation for the area’s first industrial development. In 1793, James Robertson, the “Father of Middle Tennessee,” purchased land on Barton’s Creek. 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 industrialists. On Aug. 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.
The Charlotte Courthouse sometime between 1916 and 1920 before the building was expanded. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RAGAN FAMILY
Railroad, major roads change county With the completion of the railroad from Nashville to the Tennessee River in the 1860s, the focus shifted to the southern end of the county. Also, the construction of the “Broadway of America,” or U.S. Highway 70, and the construction of Interstate 40 – which both also pass through southern Dickson County – have also shaped the county.
Below, this photograph of downtown Dickson, facing east from the corner of College and Main streets, was taken sometime prior to 1910. . PHOTO COURTESY OF THE RAGAN FAMILY
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