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Robertson County, Tennessee |
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The land which is now within the boundaries of
Robertson and Montgomery counties was first known as the Tennessee County
of North Carolina. In 1796, the state’s first general assembly met in
Knoxville to organize a new state government, and the name Tennessee was
officially adopted for the developing state. An act passed by that
assembly provided for the division of Tennessee County into two
counties. The eastern half was named Robertson in honor of James
Robertson, Father of Middle Tennessee and early leader of the Watauga and
Cumberland settlements. The act also provided for the commissioners to
purchase fifty acres of land for Robertson County’s seat of government
and specified that the town be named Springfield. |
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The act further provided for the commissioners to raise
money to build a courthouse and jail. The site selected for the
county seat was geographically centered in the middle of the county, and,
in accordance with the legislative act, the town was named Springfield.
The town was laid out in 1798, and the first log courthouse was completed
on July 15, 1799. The fertile land in Robertson County was an
excellent choice for the agriculturalists who settled here. They brought
with them the skills of distilling whiskey and cultivating tobacco, two
enterprises which have prospered. |
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Robertson County was once known world-wide for
its fine whiskey, and, at one time, there were over seventy-five whiskey
distilleries in operation in the county. Tobacco has been a commercial
product since around 1820, and Springfield has been acknowledged as the
dark-fired tobacco capital of the world. The agricultural-based economy
has flourished over the years and has in this century expanded to include
industrial development.
Although the economic base has fluctuated and changed
as civilization spread across Robertson County, the rolling hills and
fertile land are as enchanting today as they were 200 years ago when they
attracted the first settlers. Robertson Countians, both established and
new, have taken great pride in their land and their legacy to pass it on
intact and enhanced.
(reprinted from Robertson County’s
Heritage of Homes) |
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