Sequatchie County, Tennessee
Sequatchie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,826.[3] Its county seat is Dunlap.[4] Sequatchie County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Not to be confused with Sequatchie, Tennessee.
History[edit]
Sequatchie County was created in 1857 from two districts of Marion County and one district of Bledsoe County. It was named for the Sequatchie Valley, which in turn had been named for a Cherokee chief. The word sequachee from ᏏᏆ ᎤᏤᏥᏍᏘ siqua utsedsdi in Cherokee means 'opossum' or 'he grins.'[5] Settlers began arriving in what is now Sequatchie by the early 19th century, drawn to the area by the fertile land in the valley.[1]
At the outset of the Civil War, Sequatchie was divided over the issue of secession. On June 8, 1861, Sequatchie Countians voted in favor of Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession by a vote 153 to 100.[6] In October 1863, Confederate General Joseph Wheeler led a raid into Sequatchie, burning nearly a thousand wagons and capturing livestock.[1]
During the late 19th century, the Douglas Coal and Coke Company (later the Chattanooga Iron and Coal Corporation) conducted extensive mining activities in the Dunlap area. The company constructed 268 beehive ovens, now known as the Dunlap Coke Ovens, to convert coal into coke. The ovens are now the focus of a local park.[1]
Sequatchie County has a consolidated school system which is located in Dunlap. The system operates with a superintendent and an elected school board.
The Sequatchie County school system has three schools: