Prehistory and early settlement

Archaeological evidence suggests a significant population of mound building Native Americans in the county, with several mounds located near the Tennessee River at Lady's Bluff.^[1] One of the largest mounds in the state was built between 1000 and 1300 CE in the county on Cedar Creek. Though it has been reduced in size due to erosion and agricultural activity, it still measures approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) high and 120 feet (37 m) in circumference.^[2] Archaeological surveys conducted in the 1970s and 1980s discovered evidence of early Archaic through late Woodland settlement concentrated in bottomland (low-lying alluvial land) in the Tennessee River basin near Mousetail Landing State Park, with evidence of Paleoindian occupation in one site.^[3] More recently, shore erosion associated with increased traffic on the river has exposed burial sites and middens associated with pre-European settlement in the park.^[4] Arrowheads and spear tips associated the Mississippian, Woodland, and Copena cultures have been found along the Tennessee River tributaries in the western half of the county.^[5]

On January 7, 1806, with the signing of the Treaty of Washington, the Cherokee ceded to the United States a large tract of territory in the south-central portion of Tennessee that included the area that would become Perry County.^[6] Permanent settlement by people of European descent along with enslaved people of African descent began shortly after this treaty was ratified. The area was found to have very productive bottomland with an abundance of water, timber, and wild game. The earliest settlers likely arrived from nearby counties in Middle Tennessee, although some immigrated to the area from North Carolina, Alabama, and Kentucky.^[7]

Between 1810 and 1812, the first gristmill in the area was established on Cane Creek.^[8]: 58 The first known birth of a person of European descent in the area occurred in 1818 along Toms Creek. Some of the early settlers were veterans of the War of 1812, and some had probably received land grants in the area from the state of North Carolina for service in the American Revolution.^[9] It is likely the first settlers arrived via the Tennessee River based on the location of the first settlements being located near natural river landings.^[8]: 28

Formation and early history

1836 map depicting Perry County

In 1819, the Tennessee General Assembly passed an act providing:

... that a new county be established north of Wayne, west of Hickman, and south of Humphreys, by the name of Perry County, beginning at the southeast corner of Humphreys, running west, thence south, thence east, thence north to place of beginning, and to include all the territory lying between Humphreys, Hardin, Wayne and Hickman Counties.

The county, named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry, was officially organized that same year.^[9]

In 1820, the first court in the county was held in the house home of James Dixon near Lick Creek under a Judge Humphreys. The county's first school was established by Ferney Stanley on Toms Creek the same year.^[9][10] In 1821, the county seat was established in Perryville, a river port located on the west bank of the Tennessee River and originally known as Midtown.^[11] A log courthouse was constructed in Perryville, but was later replaced with a brick structure.^[12] Early in its history, Perryville was a relatively important river port and settlement, with some sources noting David Crockett, Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, and James K. Polk all having visited the town at some point.^[8]: 32 By 1837, however, the town was reportedly in a ruinous state and described as a "miserable looking settlement" by one traveler, even though it remained the county seat and an active river landing.^[13]

In 1825, the county's militia was formalized as the 68th Regiment, 11th Brigade, Tennessee Militia. Later, in 1827, the county militia was split into two regiments by the state legislature, with one regiment drawing from the area east of the Tennessee River, and the other drawing from the west, marking one of the first legal splits of the county along the river.^[14] In 1830, the settlement of Beardstown was established on a high bluff overlooking the Buffalo River.^[9]

Cedar Grove Iron Furnace

By the early 1830s, significant deposits of iron ore had been discovered in the county. Sufficient quantities were being extracted to justify the construction of a large iron ore furnace on Cedar Creek near the Tennessee River between 1832 and 1834.^[9] At its peak, it processed 1,400 tons of pig iron annually, using both free and enslaved labor, and taking advantage of the most advanced "hot blast" smelting techniques available at the time. By 1838, a community had grown around the furnace, including mills, barracks for free and enslaved workers, a storehouse, blacksmith shops, and other workshops and outbuildings. The furnace shut down in 1862, during the Civil War, and was never brought back in to service. The Cedar Grove Iron Furnace is the only twin-stack iron furnace remaining in Tennessee. In addition to iron ore, some marble mining was conducted in the county in the middle of the 19th century.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Advertisement for a runaway slave from the iron works

In February, 1833, the issue of nullification, or the ability of state governments to unilaterally invalidate Federal laws as unconstitutional, was raised in a mass meeting in Perryville. After speakers for and against Federal supremacy were heard, a resolution was passed unanimously supporting the right of the President to execute the laws passed by Congress, condemning the acts of nullification in South Carolina, and reaffirming the necessity of the maintenance of the Union.^[19] On July 10, 1843, the courthouse at Perryville was destroyed in a fire, and through at least late 1844 meetings that would otherwise have been held in the courthouse were held in warehouses along the river. No record exists of a courthouse being re-built in Perryville.^[20][21]

1842 map of Perry County

By the late 1830s, the difficulties of conducting government business in a county split by a major river that lacked reliable crossings was becoming more apparent. In 1837, a bill was passed in the state legislature creating an entry-taker's office in the eastern portion of the county, duplicating many of the county government's functions.^{[22]: 94–96} Demands to separate the portion of the county west of the Tennessee River were increasing by 1845, citing the "danger and expense in attending courts...and other business in the county seat [of Perryville]" by people living on the opposite side. That year, bills proposing the creation of a new county formed by the portions of Perry County west of the river appeared in the state legislature.^[23][24] In November 1845 the legislature passed an act to create Decatur County from the land occupied by Perry County west of the Tennessee River.^[25] The seat of government and courts were then temporarily relocated from Perryville to a village near the new geographic center of the county known as Harrisburg.^[10] In 1847, 40 acres (16 hectares) located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Harrisburg on the west bank of the Buffalo River were donated to the county by David B. Harris for the building of a new county seat.^[9] The town was initially named Milton, in honor of Milton Brown, but when it was discovered that there was already a town of the same name in the state, it was renamed Linden after the Thomas Campbell poem "Hohenlinden".^[8]: 35 The land was divided into plots and a public square, and the plots were sold off to provide funds for the construction of public buildings. Linden was established as the county seat in 1848, where it remains as of 2023, and is the largest municipality in the county. A temporary structure to house the court was built in 1848, and was replaced by a wooden frame building in 1849. Harrisburg no longer exists as an organized entity or recognized location.^[9] During this time period, in 1844, the community of Flatwoods, originally known as Whitaker's Bluff, was established along the Buffalo River in the southern part of the county by a group of settlers from Halifax, North Carolina.^[8]: 50

In 1850, it was reported that there were 10 grist mills, a saw mill, a furnace, and two tanneries in operation within the county. Additionally, 21 churches were organized, as well as 23 schools enrolling 685 students. Corn was the primary agricultural product at the time, though oats, sweet potatoes, and tobacco were also grown in smaller quantities.^[26] In 1854, Lobelville was established as a trading-post village on the west bank of the Buffalo River about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Beardstown by a French trader named Henri de Lobel.^[10]

By the late 1850s, allegations and rumors of an impending slave insurrection began to spread throughout the southern United States. In 1856, the panic reached Perry County, when multiple enslaved persons were murdered over rumors of the plotting of a revolt.^[27] The total number of people killed by so-called vigilance committees is unclear, with contemporary reports citing as many as 15 being hanged,^[28] and later historical research noting between 10 and 12.^[27]

Civil War

Civil War-era map of Perry County

The issue of whether or not Perry County would swing towards Unionist or Secessionist causes was not clear as late as May 1861, when a pro-Union convention was held in Linden to nominate a Republican candidate for Congress.^[29] In June 1861, however, it voted in favor of secession by a margin of 780 to 168.^[30] Even though the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of secession, the Unionist sentiment was strong and pervasive throughout the war, with men from the county volunteering for both sides in the conflict. About 300 men joined the Confederate Army, with about 200 joining the Union Army.^[9] One particularly notable Confederate unit formed in the county was Harder's Company of the 23rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment, raised in 1861 and composed of about 100 men from the Cedar Creek area. This unit fought throughout the war, seeing action at Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Stones River, Chickamagua, and the Siege of Petersburg, after which they surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia in 1865.^[31]

Both pro-Union and pro-Confederate irregular and guerrilla forces were organized in Perry County, and were known to have conducted raids on neighboring counties.^[32] Of note were the Perry County Jayhawkers, a group of Union-aligned partisans known to have engaged in fighting against opposing partisans in Hickman County and who burned the county seat of Centerville.^[33] Due to the rural, isolated nature of the region, away from the major railway lines and with only limited access to large landings on the Tennessee River, there were no large-scale engagements in the county.^[9] In February 1862, the Cedar Grove Iron Furnace was partially destroyed when it was shelled by Union gunboats USS Conestoga, USS Tyler, and USS Lexington.^[16] On April 27, 1862, a body was found by a group of children playing near Britt's Landing on the Tennessee River in Perry County. Investigation of papers found on the body revealed it to be that of Governor Louis P. Harvey of Wisconsin.^[34] Gov. Harvey had been conducting an inspection of hospitals where wounded soldiers were being treated after the Battle of Shiloh, and had drowned in the river on April 19 while returning to Wisconsin.^[35] In April 1863, the Mississippi Marine Brigade, a Union Army amphibious unit consisting of infantry and a number of gunboats, conducted some activity on the Tennessee River in the county. On the 23rd, following fighting further upriver near Clifton, the flotilla held at Britt's Landing before attempting to pass the shoals at the Duck River just down river.^[36]

Reconstruction and the late 19th century

The 1868 courthouse in Linden

Martial law was lifted in the county in April 1865, when the civil court held its first session since Tennessee's secession and the beginning of the Civil War.^[9] At least some civil unrest continued until at least July of that year, when Federal forces were again dispatched to the county to conduct counter-guerilla operations.^[42] Due to the prevalence of small farms in the county, it did not experience the same levels of economic turmoil in counties that relied on plantation agriculture following the war.^[45] In 1868, a new two-story brick courthouse was built to replace the one burned during the war.^[9] Perry County was not immune to Reconstruction era racial violence against black citizens. In 1869, two black men who had been arrested for unknown crimes were removed from the county jail by a mob and shot.^[46]

In the late 19th century, the county was largely known for its tanneries and peanut cultivation. Peanut farming began in earnest in the late 1860s, replacing cotton as the primary export crop of the county.^[8]: 48 By 1886 over 500,000 bushels of peanuts per year were being produced.^[9] In the 1890s, the Southern Peanut Company was incorporated at Britt's Landing, which became the focal point of the peanut processing industry in the county. The dominance of the peanut as the primary cash crop in the county lasted through to the 1920s when the Southern Peanut Company went bankrupt. With the company's bankruptcy, the lack of processing and export facilities caused the market for peanuts in the county to collapse.^{[8]: 48, 52–53}

The first known black-owned farm in the county was established in 1871 on the north fork of Lick Creek. Tapp Craig and his wife, Amy Guthrie, both former slaves, purchased the farm with a down payment of a yoke of oxen, and paid off the farm over the next two years. The farm, still owned by the Craig family, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places due to its significance in the history of black farmers in Tennessee.^[47]

From about 1880 to 1884, the first regular newspaper in the county, the Linden Times, was published weekly.^{[8]: 40–42} By the mid-1880s, the continued lack of railroad connections was reported as a cause for the lack of investment in the county. An 1886 editorial in the Nashville Daily American noted that many in the county were awaiting the construction of the proposed Nashville, Memphis, and Jackson Railroad, and viewed it as an essential step in the modernization and industrialization of the area.^[48] In 1887, Congress authorized the construction of a railroad bridge across the Tennessee River connecting Perry and Decatur counties. The Tennessee Midland Railroad laid tracks from Lexington, Tennessee to Perryville. While a terminus allowing the transfer of goods from rail to river shipping was constructed in Perryville, the bridge was never built and the railroad was never extended into Perry County.^[49] A second attempt to bring a railroad to Perry County was started around 1890 with construction beginning on the Florence Northern Railroad. Plans for the line's extension meant for it to eventually pass through Linden on its way from Florence, Alabama to Paducah, Kentucky.^[50] In 1894 the railroad was purchased by a Chattanooga company after about 30 miles (48 km) had been graded, and construction was never completed.^[51]

Early 20th century

Pvt. Noah Harder of Linden, killed in Belgium, 1918^[52]

Briefly, in the summer of 1903, Perry County was without a county government. That year the state legislature passed an act consolidating the civil districts in the county, and providing for a new special election to be held that would elect new officers. Due to an oversight in the writing of the act, the new county officers could not be seated until 30 days after the election.^[53]

By 1910, the population of the county peaked at 8,815. It then proceeded to decline to a low of 5,238 individuals in 1970, a number not seen since the census of 1830.^[54] During the First World War, a Selective Service Board was established in Linden. Over 1,500 men registered for the draft, and 254 individuals from Perry County served in the United States military from 1917 to 1919. Out of those who served, 10 were wounded and 27 were killed, a nearly 15% casualty rate.^[55]

1934 map of Perry County

In 1927, the county decided to renovate and expand the courthouse. In January 1928, the building burned as it was undergoing restoration. The county government decided to demolish the remains of the old courthouse and construct a new, larger building in the Colonial Revival style which was completed that same year.^[56] Also in 1928, construction started on the first bridge across the Tennessee River in West and Middle Tennessee, connecting Perry and Decatur counties. The bridge, named after World War I Medal of Honor recipient Alvin C. York, was opened on July 5, 1930, by Governor Henry Horton as part of a major road building program to provide additional links between Memphis and Nashville.^[57][58] The crossing would prove to be extremely popular, and was the fourth highest grossing toll bridge in the state in the month after its opening.^[59] This bridge was later demolished and replaced by a modern concrete bridge in 1986.^[60] The construction of the road bridge and completion of the highway reduced demand for rail service in the area, and service to the rail terminal at Perryville was discontinued in 1936.^[49]

By the 1930s, Perry County had acquired a reputation as a hotbed of illicit alcohol production. Its isolated nature on the eastern edge of a Federal law enforcement district meant that prohibition officers rarely operated in the area, allowing moonshine operations to run unimpeded. Liquor would be distributed to dealers in neighboring Hickman County for sale.^[61] Recovery from the Great Depression was slow in the county. By the late 1940s, wages had improved from their nadir in the 1930s, although unemployment was high among the predominant industries of farming and forestry.^[62]

During the Second World War, Perry County was located in the Tennessee Maneuver Area, though it is unclear to what extent exercises occurred within Perry County, if at all. The region was chosen due to its geographic similarity with anticipated combat areas in Western Europe, specifically, the region around the Rhine in Germany. Maneuvers began in June 1941 and training was suspended in March 1944 as Operation Overlord approached.^[63]

Late 20th century

In 1958, Interstate 40 was completed in Tennessee, crossing the length of the state but passing 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the county. Following this, businesses began to leave the county for locations nearer urban areas and adjacent to the highway; and when two garment factories and an automobile parts plant ceased operations, the conditions were set for long-term economic stagnation.^[64]

By the mid 1960s, an effort had commenced to protect areas of the county along the Tennessee River for conservation and recreation. In January 1967, the site at Mousetail Landing, then owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), was reported as under study for a future park.^[65] In 1968, a bill was vetoed by Governor Buford Ellington that would have provided funding to acquire land to establish a state park at the landing.^[66] By 1973, the park had seen further planning as part of a chain of four water-oriented parks along the Tennessee River, including Pickwick Landing State Park, Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, and Paris Landing State Park.^[67] In 1977, Perry County leaders unanimously approved a resolution in support of the development of the park. That year, the TVA offered to give 100 acres (40 hectares) of land to the state, and a matching Federal grant of $1.1 million had been made available for the park's development.^[68] By 1979, the state had finalized plans to build the park and officially asked the TVA to turn over 1,200 acres (490 hectares) of riverfront land between Spring Creek and Lick Creek for the park. TVA approved the land transfer, with construction planned to begin late that year.^[69]

2010 Census Map of Perry County

In 1971, an Old Order Mennonite community was established along Cane Creek near Lobelville. Both English as well as Plattdeutsch and Pennsylvania German speaking families settled in the area from other areas of Tennessee, from nearby states such as Arkansas, and internationally from Belize. This community generally avoids motor vehicles, except in certain limited situations sanctioned by their church, and most families are not connected to the electrical grid.^[70]

Nineteen farms in Perry County have been accepted into the Tennessee Century Farms Program.^[71] The program, established in 1975 by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and now managed by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, recognizes active farms that have been operated continuously by the same family for over 100 years.^[72] Included in the program are the Craig Farm and the Tucker Farm, established in 1818 and the oldest farm in the county.^[71]

Rivers

Toms Creek embayment on the Tennessee River

Three rivers are found within Perry County: the Tennessee River, Buffalo River, and Duck River. The Tennessee River runs along the western boundary of the county, Buffalo River bisects the county, and a bend of the Duck River crosses into the county very briefly in its far northeastern corner.^[74]

Topography and hydrography

Road ford across Lick Creek

Most of the western half of the county forms part of the watershed for the Tennessee River, while most of the eastern half drains into the Buffalo River. A very small portion of the far northeastern corner of the county drains into the Duck River. The water table is high due to the hard substrate, creating numerous springs and shallow wells, and is charged by the Highland Rim aquifer. Typical spring and well yields range from 1 to 400 gallons per minute (4.5 to 1820 liters per minute).^[7]

Buffalo Ridge bisects the county from north to south between the Tennessee and Buffalo rivers. The ridge reaches approximately 700 feet (210 m) above sea level, with a topographic prominence of about 300 feet (91 m). Eight smaller spur ridges extend to the west from the main crest of Buffalo Ridge about 9 miles (14 km), creating the drainages for nine major creeks that flow into the Tennessee River. These creeks are, from north to south, Blue Creek, Crooked Creek, Roans Creek, Toms Creek, Lick Creek, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek, Marsh Creek, and Cedar Creek. To the east of the Buffalo River, additional ridges run east to west, similar to the terrain west of Buffalo Ridge. These ridges form the basins for the main Buffalo River tributaries within the county, Coon Creek, Brush Creek, Hurricane Creek, Short Creek, and Cane Creek.^[45]

Large tracts of natural wetlands exist within the county. One estimate based on analysis of satellite photography by the Tennessee Valley Authority estimated approximately 5,200 acres (2,100 hectares) of forested wetlands and 1,200 acres (490 hectares) of non-forested wetlands. These wetlands occur primarily along stream courses, and are some of the most productive wildlife habitat in the region.^[7]

Soil and geology

Cross section of the soil profile of Perry County

Soil deposits from the three river drainages located in the county have created fertile bottomland that are used intensively for agricultural purposes. The soil profile is generally very deep, with slopes and soil types suitable for agriculture and building construction. The ridge tops are well drained and loamy, with significant chert rock deposits. Reserves of chert, sand, gravel, limestone, and phosphate can be found in the county. Cherty limestone deposits are the most extensive geologic feature of the county, and an impermeable siltstone and shale base below the chert formations has led to the emergence of numerous fresh water springs.^[7]

Blue and gray limestone outcrops are present in most valleys of the county. These limestone formations are part of the Lobelville formation of the Silurian Brownsport Group and of the Lower Helderberg Group.^[82] Significant numbers of fossils have been found in the limestone.^[45] By the late 1830s, the fossils of various newly cataloged species of mollusks and trilobites found in the county were described in reports to the General Assembly.^[83] Iron ore is extremely abundant, with numerous deposits to the west of Buffalo Ridge.^[45]

Adjacent counties

• Humphreys County (north)
• Hickman County (northeast)
• Lewis County (southeast)
• Wayne County (south)
• Decatur County (west)
• Benton County (northwest)^[84]

Wildlife reintroduction

By the late 1940s, fewer than 1,000 whitetail deer were found in the state, having been hunted to the brink of extirpation. In the early 1930s, the Tennessee Game and Fish Commission, the United States Forest Service, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the United States Navy began restocking efforts on public lands in the State. In 1949, the Game and Fish Commission began their first reintroduction effort in Perry County on public lands, later expanding reintroductions to private lands in the 1950s. By the 1950s, the populations had grown large enough to sustain a limited degree of hunting.^[95] In 1960, 30 deer were harvested in the county; by 1996, that number had risen to nearly 2,200.^[7]

By the 1950s, wild turkeys had been eliminated from the county. A reintroduction and habitat management program was conducted by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (the successor agency to the Game and Fish Commission), leading to the successful return of the species to the county. While the overall number of turkeys is moderate, good local populations are found within certain areas.^[7]

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,366 people in 2,929 households residing in the county. The average household size was 2.68. A language other than English was spoken at home by 6.5% of the population.^[96]

Poverty and unemployment

Perry County ranks below state and national averages in numerous economic indicators. As of 2023, Perry County was one of eight Tennessee counties listed by the Appalachian Regional Commission as a distressed county, putting it in the bottom 10% of counties in the United States in terms of poverty rate, unemployment, and income.^[108] Perry County's Gini coefficient is .54, indicating a significantly higher level of income inequality than the rest of Tennessee.^[109] As of 2020, the gross domestic product of all industries in the county was $190 million.^[110] In 2019, the poverty rate in the county was estimated at 16.1%, three percent higher than the statewide average. The median household income was $41,034, and the per capita income was $27,970. Property values in the county are significantly below the statewide average. In 2019, the median value of owner-occupied housing was $88,100, compared to $167,200 statewide. The rate of owner-occupied housing however, was significantly higher at 82% versus the statewide average of 66%.^[96][111] Numerous challenges to economic expansion exist within the county, including a lack of reliable broadband internet access, no four-lane or controlled access highways, and no nearby US Department of Agriculture certified livestock meat processing.^[81]

Perry County was severely impacted by the economic recession of 2008 and 2009. Unemployment reached nearly 29%, which at the time was the highest in the state of Tennessee, and the second highest in the United States.^[112] The high unemployment rate was due to the closure of a major automotive parts plant that employed a significant portion of the county's residents.^[112] Governor Phil Bredesen made Perry County a focus of his state stimulus package in an effort to lower unemployment. Within two years, the unemployment rate was lowered to 14%, a reduction partially attributed to the governor's subsidized employment program.^[113] In 2012, an auto parts supplier opened an injection molded plastics facility in a then-shuttered factory space in Linden, providing over 400 jobs to the local community and substantially relieving unemployment in the county.^[114]

In April 2020, seasonally unadjusted unemployment peaked again at over 24%, compared to the state average of 15.6%. In 2020, a rubber parts manufacturer that was the largest employer in Lobelville shut down, significantly adding to the county's unemployment rate.^[115] As of October 2022 unemployment in Perry County was the third-highest in the state at 5.2%, behind Scott County and Bledsoe County, compared to the statewide unemployment rate of 3.5%.^[116]

Courts, law enforcement, and crime

Perry County has one elected judge who presides over the county's general sessions court and juvenile court.^[119] The county falls under the 32nd Judicial District of Tennessee, which includes a circuit court and chancery court. The 32nd Judicial District covers Perry, Lewis, and Hickman counties, and is presided over by Judge Michael Spitzer. The 32nd District's circuit court is the immediate appellate court for the county's general sessions and juvenile courts. Prior to August 2022, the county was part of the 21st District, which included Williamson County. After concerns were raised about elections for the court being controlled by the much more populous Williamson County, the 32nd District was created to split off the three smaller counties into a new district.^[120]

The county is served by one law enforcement agency, the Perry County Sheriff's Office, headed by an elected sheriff. The sheriff is responsible for all law enforcement functions, including crime prevention and investigation, apprehension of criminals, and patrolling the county's roads. Additionally, the sheriff's office is responsible for providing bailiffs to county courts, service court processes and orders, and operating the county's jail.^[121]

Crime rates in the county are lower than both the state and national average. Property crime rates are 13.7 per 1000 people, and violent crime rates are 2.5 per 1000 people, versus the statewide averages of 29.7 and 6.3 and national averages of 16.7 and 2 respectively. Public safety professionals make up .35% of the population, compared to a statewide average of .77%.^[122]

Elections

Historically, like most of Middle Tennessee, Perry County was overwhelmingly Democratic. Although it voted to elect Warren G. Harding in his record popular vote landslide of 1920, otherwise no Republican presidential candidate managed to carry the county up to 2004. It did, though, give a plurality to segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1968. Since 2000, Perry County has seen a very rapid trend towards the Republican Party typical of many rural southern counties. In 2016, it was only marginally less Republican than the traditional Unionist Republican bastions of East Tennessee.^[123][124]

Incorporated communities by population

Unincorporated communities

Major highways

One federal highway, four primary state highways, and two secondary state highways transit the county. The lone federal highway, U.S. Route 412, connects Linden with the town of Parsons in Decatur County 18 miles (29 km) to the west and the town of Hohenwald in Lewis County 19 miles (31 km) to the east, with a western terminus near Dyersburg, Tennessee and eastern terminus near Columbia, Tennessee. Tennessee State Route 20 is concurrent with U.S. Route 412 through the county. Tennessee State Route 100 is also largely concurrent with U.S. Route 412, diverging from U.S. Route 412 east of Linden and entering Hickman County. The primary north-south route is Tennessee State Route 13, connecting with Interstate 40 9 miles (14 km) north of Lobelville in Humphreys County. Tennessee State Route 438 transits the northern half of the county in a general east-west orientation, connecting Centerville in Hickman County with U.S. Route 412 near the Tennessee River. Tennessee State Route 128 connects the town of Clifton in Wayne, County with State Route 13 south of Linden. Tennessee State Route 48 only briefly crosses the county's far southeast corner. ^[132]

U.S. Route 412 west of Linden, and State Route 13 south of Linden are designated as Tennessee Parkways.^[132] State Route 13 and State Route 128 are both designated and signed as part of the Tennessee River Trail Scenic Byway through their entire routes in the county.^[2]

^[126]

Airports

Aerial view of James Tucker Airport (M15)

Perry County is served by a small public general aviation airport, James Tucker Airport, constructed in 1962 south of Linden.^[133][134] Efforts to bring an airport to Perry County date back to 1946. A group of students from Lobelville High School petitioned the county to construct a public airport after having been introduced to aviation through the donation of a Link Trainer to the school.^[135] In addition to the public general aviation airport, a private-use helipad (FAA identifier 5TN8) is located at the now-closed Perry Community Hospital in Linden.^[136]

Pipelines

Tennessee Gas Pipeline operates a natural gas pipeline that bisects Perry County. A pumping station for the line is located in Lobelville, and was one of the largest pumping stations in the United States when it was constructed.^[137] This station and sections of the nearby pipeline are a listed EPA Superfund site.^[138] A lawsuit against the pipeline company concerning both the pipeline and the pumping station alleged the release of PCB contaminants into the local environment.^[139] As a result of this release, one study determined that those exposed suffered various neurological problems, including slowed reaction speeds and cognition problems.^[140]

Telecommunications and electric power

In 1900, Bell Telephone Company established service in the county. Lines were run from the north, diverging from the lines along the railroad in Waverly.^[141]

Typical of many rural counties, the rate of broadband internet adoption and availability remains low, with about 59% of households reporting access to broadband internet, compared to 78% statewide, as of 2020.^[96][111]

Electric power in the county is provided through Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative, a non-profit utility cooperative that distributes power purchased from the Tennessee Valley Authority.^[142][143] Many parts of the county did not have electric service until after the middle of the 20th century. Some population centers, such as the community of Flatwoods in southern Perry County, did not receive power until 1950.^[144]

Music and film

In 1928 the Weems String Band, a folk music group originating in the county, recorded with Columbia Records what is widely considered to be one of the best folk music recordings of the era. The two songs on the record are the only known works recorded by the group. The band was drawn by noted cartoonist Robert Crumb and featured in a series of trading cards done by the artist on musicians.^[153]

In 1957, the film Natchez Trace starring Zachary Scott, Marcia Henderson, and William Campbell, and directed by Alan Crosland, Jr. was filmed in the southern part of the county near Flatwoods. Numerous locals appeared as extras in the lost film which chronicled the life of John Murrell, a bandit who operated in the area in the early 19th century.^[154]

Perry County was featured in a 1992 episode of the television show Unsolved Mysteries. The episode discussed the case of George Owens, an elderly man from Nolensville, Tennessee, who disappeared on July 22, 1985. Owens was last seen in Lobelville, where he purchased ice cream and cigars from a shop. Six days after this sighting his car was found on a wooded hilltop in a remote portion of the county. He was declared legally deceased by a court in 1993.^[155][156]

Sports and athletics

While Perry County does not currently host any professional or semi-professional athletics teams, historically at least two semi-professional baseball organizations operated in the county. From the 1920s to the late 1940s, both Lobelville and Linden fielded teams, and baseball was considered the prime pastime for residents of the county. It was of such popularity that rivalry games on holidays would be accompanied by noted musical acts, including at least one appearance by Bill Monroe, widely considered the father of bluegrass music.^[157][158] Linden's team, the Owls, won at least three state baseball championships.^[159]

Perry County high school athletic teams have achieved some notability in state-wide competitions, especially in basketball. In 1955, Linden High School began a three-year streak of winning the state high school boys' basketball championship.^[160] Following Linden High School's consolidation with Lobelville High School, Perry County High School again won boys' basketball state championships in 1976, 1977, and 1997.^[161]

COVID-19 pandemic

As of early September 2022, Perry County reported a total of 2,599 COVID-19 cases, along with 56 deaths and 63 hospitalizations.^[167] Additionally, as of August 22, 2022, 42.8% of the county's population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, nearly 15% below the state-wide vaccination rate.^[168][169]