Perry County, Tennessee
Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,366, with an average population density of 20.2 persons per square mile (7.8 persons/km2), making it the least densely populated county in Tennessee. Its county seat and largest town is Linden. The county is named after American naval commander and War of 1812 hero Oliver Hazard Perry.
This article is about the county in Tennessee. For other counties with the same name, see Perry County.
Perry County
United States
November 14, 1819
Linden
Lobelville
John Carroll
423 sq mi (1,100 km2)
415 sq mi (1,070 km2)
8.1 sq mi (21 km2) 1.9%
8,366 
20.2/sq mi (7.8/km2)
Perry Countian
In 1806, the Cherokee ceded to the United States the land that would later become Perry County in the Treaty of Washington. The county was established by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1819 from parts of Wayne County, Hickman County, and Humphreys County. In 1845, the portions of Perry County located west of the Tennessee River were split off to form Decatur County.
Agriculture and forestry are the largest components of the local economy, supplemented by light industry and tourism. Perry County is one of the most economically disadvantaged counties in the state. It was severely impacted by the Great Recession of 2008, at one point having the second highest unemployment rate in the United States, and as of 2020 continues to lag behind the rest of the state in various economic indicators, including income inequality and poverty rates. Transportation infrastructure is limited, and no railroads, commercial airports, or freeways are present in the county.
Over 80 percent of the county is forested. The county's terrain is largely defined by its two major rivers, the Buffalo and the Tennessee, and features ridges and valleys that form tributaries to the rivers. Agriculture and outdoor recreation benefit from plentiful fresh water sources, fertile crop land, and abundant wildlife. Mousetail Landing State Park is the largest protected area in the county and a significant driver of nature tourism in the region.
Education[edit]
Perry County has one unified school district, the Perry County School System. There are four schools in the district, including one high school (Perry County High School), and three primary schools (Linden Middle School, Linden Elementary School, and Lobelville School), overseen by the Perry County Board of Education.[158] The county's first high school was opened in Linden in 1922. Prior to that, all students wishing to have an education beyond the 8th grade had to attend school outside of the county.[159] The county's current high school, Perry County High School, was established in 1963 in Linden with the consolidation of the high schools in Linden and Lobelville. A number of parents and school administrators in Lobelville resisted the consolidation due to the distance from Linden, as well as concerns that the new school would not be ready for the beginning of the 1963 school year. In response, a special school district was granted to Lobelville by the state legislature in 1963. However, in an effort to force the consolidation to proceed, the Tennessee Board of Education ruled that the district did not qualify for any funds and would not be accredited. A group of Lobelville parents sued to keep the school district open, with volunteer teachers filling in for the 1963 school year.[160] The case went to the Tennessee Supreme Court where it affirmed in 1964 that the State Board of Education was within its rights to deny funding to the special school district with the justification that there was an insufficient number of students in the proposed special district to justify expenditure of resources.[161] The consolidation went forward with the Lobelville school closing later that year.[162]
Prior to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the county exploited loopholes in state and federal laws to prevent black children from attending high school in the county. In 1954, the county hired a local black farmer and Korean War veteran, McDonald Craig, to drive a bus to transport black children to attend high school out of the county. Using a school bus he purchased from a local Chevrolet dealer, who also happened to be descended from Craig's enslaved grandparents' owners, Craig bussed black students to Montgomery High School in Lexington, Tennessee. This bussing program lasted until the fall of 1965, when the county's schools were integrated.[50]
The county's high school graduation rate is very high, at 97.5%, versus a statewide average of 90.4%.[118] Approximately 75% of the population over age 25 has a high school diploma or equivalent, while 12% have a bachelor's degree or higher. Both are significantly below the statewide averages of 87% and 27%, respectively.[101][120]
In 1947, the county established a board and funding for a public library. By 1986 two public libraries had been established, one in Linden and another in Lobelville.[9]: 84–85