Pickett County, located in southeastern Tennessee, has a rich history filled with interesting facts. Here are just seven of them:
1. Pickett County was formed in 1879 from parts of Overton and Fentress counties. It was named after Howard L. Pickett, a prominent attorney from the area.
2. During the Civil War, Pickett County was primarily pro-Union, and many of its residents joined the Union army. However, there were also Confederate sympathizers in the county, and there were occasional skirmishes between the two sides.
3. The town of Byrdstown, the county seat of Pickett County, was named after Colonel Jacob Byrd, a Revolutionary War veteran who settled in the area in the late 1700s.
4. In the early 1900s, Pickett County was known for its timber industry. Lumber companies harvested vast quantities of hardwoods from the area's forests, which were used to build everything from houses to furniture.
5. Pickett County was home to several moonshiners during Prohibition. With its secluded hills and forests, it was the perfect place to hide an illegal still, and many bootleggers made a living selling moonshine to locals and tourists alike.
6. During World War II, Pickett County was home to a German prisoner of war camp. The camp housed around 800 prisoners, who were put to work on local farms and in the timber industry. Many of the prisoners enjoyed their time in Pickett County and developed lasting relationships with their captors and fellow prisoners.
7. In 2010, Pickett County made national headlines when it became the first county in Tennessee to pass a resolution declaring itself a "gun sanctuary." The resolution stated that Pickett County would not enforce any federal gun laws it deemed unconstitutional, and it was seen as a response to the gun control debate that was raging in the country at the time.
These are just a few of the many interesting facts about Pickett County's history. From its early days as a frontier settlement to its modern status as a rural community, Pickett County has a fascinating story to tell.
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