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Early Settlement and County
Sites
Hamilton County
was formed out of Rhea in January, 1820 – the treaty with the Indians being
concluded in the latter part of 1819.
It took its name in honor of
Alexander Hamilton, then late Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.
The first court was held at the
house of Hasten Poe, fifteen miles above Chattanooga. This body had criminal and law jurisdiction
to a certain extent.
The Justices, elected by the
Legislature, were:
Robert Patterson
John Cornett
John Hammet
There were two parties in the
county struggling for the ascendancy, known as the Riddle Party and the
Rawlings.
The free Negroes held the balance
of power for awhile, and no little wire pulling was resorted to by the
partisans of each clique to control this element.
In 1840, A. G. W. Puckett, in
obedience to the majority of the electors of the county, as by legislative act
provided, removed the court to the south side of the Tennessee
River, where a town was laid out and public buildings erected.
This place was called Harrison,
in respect to General W. H. Harrison, a distinguished soldier, and afterwards
President of the United
States.
In 1870, pursuant to an act of
the Legislature, the county voted upon the question of removing the county site
to Chattanooga.
A majority voting in favor of the
proposition, it became the duty of the Chairman, A. G. W. Puckett, to adjourn
the court to this place, which was accordingly done.
Extent and Area of the County
The county adjoins, and is north of, Latitude 35 degrees,
the boundary line between Georgia
and Tennessee, and between Longitude 85
degrees 9’ 25” west from Greenwich
and 85 degrees 30’ east. It extends over
a territory of 645 square miles, or 263,600 acres.
It is bounded on the north by Rhea County; east by Tennessee
River and James County; south by State of Georgia; west by Marion, Sequachie
and Bledsoe Counties.
The shape of the county is irregular -- the southern line being twice the length of
the northern.
The following are the principal towns in the county:
Tyner’s Station
A small village on the East Tennessee, Virginia
& Georgia Railroad, nine miles east of Chattanooga, with a good county (public)
school, store, post office, etc. Fine
farming country around, mostly upland, well watered, and lands very reasonable
Chickamauga
A station on the Western & Atlantic Railraod, south of Chattanooga twelve
miles. Has a store, post office,
blacksmith shops, and an excellent Academy for young men. A healthy section of country, and well
watered and timbered.
Chattanooga,
Tennessee; Hamilton
County, and Lookout Mountain
– Louis L. Parham - 1876
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