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HISTORY AND ATTRACTIONS PUTNAM COUNTY, TN

Established in 1854 (originally 1842) from parts of five surrounding counties, Putnam County, TN, is located in the Upper Cumberland region, centered around the county seat of Cookeville. Named for Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam, the area was settled along the early 19th-century Walton Road and served as a divided, strategic location during the Civil War.

Establishment and Early History

• Formation: Initial attempts to create the county in 1842 failed due to lawsuits, leading to a permanent re-establishment in 1854.
• Settlement: Early settlers arrived in the late 1700s and early 1800s, primarily from Virginia and North Carolina, utilizing the Walton Road.
• Geography: The county spans the Cumberland Plateau, Highland Rim, and Central Basin.

Development and Key Events

• Cookeville: Named for Major Richard F. Cooke, a state senator, the town was established as the county seat in 1854 and incorporated in 1856.
• Civil War: A deeply divided area, the county saw no major battles, but experienced significant guerrilla warfare and skirmishes, including the 1863 Battle of Dug Hill.
• Industry: Early economic activity included subsistence farming and saltpeter mining in the Calfkiller Valley for gunpowder production.
• Railroad: The arrival of the Nashville & Knoxville Railroad in the late 19th century was pivotal, resulting in the destruction of the historic "Standing Stone" marker in 1895.

Notable Locations and Growth

• Monterey: Originally known as Standing Stone, this community became a center for early tourism and timber.
• Education & Economy: The establishment of Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (now Tennessee Tech University) in 1915 served as a major catalyst for regional growth.
• Landmarks: Burgess Falls State Park and the Cookeville History Museum preserve the area's natural and cultural history.

Today, Putnam County is a hub in the Upper Cumberland known for education, manufacturing, and tourism.

After its original formation in 1842 was declared unconstitutional, Putnam County was firmly established 11 February 1854 when Richard Fielding Cooke's bill, with amendments, cleared the Tennessee House. Putnam County was again a reality. It is named in honor of General Israel Putnam, who rose to prominence in the American Revolutionary War and fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

Putnam County was first established on 2 February 1842 when the Twenty-fourth General Assembly enacted a measure creating Putnam County from portions of Jackson, Overton, Fentress, and White Counties. Isaac Buck, Burton Marchbanks, Henry L. McDaniel, Lawson Clark, Carr Terry, Richard F. Cooke, H. D. Marchbanks, Craven Maddox, and Elijah Carr, all of Jackson County, were named by the Act to superintend the surveying of the new county. Surveying was done by Mounce Gore, also of Jackson County, and the Assembly instructed them to locate the county seat, to be called "Monticello," near the center of the county. However contending that the formation of Putnam was illegal because it reduced their areas below constitutional limits, Overton and Jackson counties secured an injunction against its continued operation. Putnam officials failed to reply to the complaint, and in the March, 1845 term of the Chancery Court at Livingston, Chancellor Bromfield L. Ridley declared Putnam unconstitutionally established and therefore dissolved.

The 1854 act reestablishing Putnam was passed after Representative Henderson M. Clements of Jackson County assured his colleagues that a new survey showed that there was sufficient area to form the county. The act specified the the "county town" be named "Cookeville" in honor of Richard F. Cooke, who served in the Tennessee Senate from 1851-1854, representing at various times Jackson, Fentress, Macon, Overton and White Counties. The act authorized Joshua R. Stone and Green Baker from White County, William Davis and Isaiah Warton from Overton County, John Brown and Austin Morgan from Jackson County, William B. Stokes and Bird S. Rhea from DeKalb County, and Benjamin A. Vaden and Nathan Ward from Smith County to study the Conner survey and select a spot, not more than two and one-half miles from the center of the county, for the courthouse. The first County Court chose a hilly tract of land then owned by Charles Crook for the site.

Top Attractions & Things to Do

• Burgess Falls State Park: Known for its sheer bluffs, narrow ridges, and impressive waterfalls along the Falling Water River.
• Cummins Falls State Park: A rugged 211-acre park famous for being an idyllic swimming hole and home to the 8th largest waterfall in Tennessee.
• Window Cliffs State Natural Area: Features a unique ridge-top trail leading to stunning, narrow rock formations.
• Bee Rock: A popular, accessible hiking trail offering panoramic views of the Cumberland Plateau after a short hike.
• City Lake Natural Area: A tranquil area for hiking and enjoying nature near downtown Cookeville.
• Center Hill Lake: A major destination for boating, fishing, and swimming, surrounded by hundreds of miles of shoreline.