een established.
Previous to the year 1836, the greater portion of what is now Benton
County, constituted a part of Humphreys County. The remainder, including
about one civil district, was taken from Henry County. The county was
established by an act of the General Assembly, passed November 24, 1835. A
postoffice named Tranquility had been established on the great stage route
from Memphis to Nashville, about one mile west of the present town of
Camden, and there at the house of Samuel H. Burton, contracted from Samuel
Haliburton, on February 7, 1886, the county was organized by the commissioners,
The first jail was a log building erected in 1837 on the lot where the present jail stands. It was about twenty feet square with double walls eight inches apart, the space between being filled with upright poles. It was built by Irwin B. Carnes. About 1840 a brick jail was erected upon the same lot. It was used until about 1866, when it was burned by the prisoners confined within it, with the expectation of making their escape. In this they were disappointed, and it was with the greatest difficulty that they were rescued. Immediately afterward a second brick jail, similar to the one burned was erected. This was used until 1883, when the present excellent brick building was completed at a cost of about $8,000.00. At the organization of the county it was divided into nine civil districts, and so continued until 1850, when the Tenth District was formed from a portion of the Fifth. to the remainder of which was added a part of the Fourth and Sixth Districts. In 1860 the Eleventh District was formed from fractions of the First and Third, and in 1872 portions of the Fourth and Sixth were constituted the Twelfth District. In 1883 two additional districts, the Thirteenth and Fourteenth, were formed. The former was composed of a fraction taken from Decatur County, added to a portion of the First District; the latter was constituted from part of the Second, Third and Fourth Districts.
The commissioners appointed to organize the county and fix the county seat located it upon forty acres of land occupied by John Jackson who had no title to the land other than occupancy. He was allowed however a few choice lots for his own use as compensation for the land appropriated. The survey was made by John Doherty and Burrell Beard in December, 1836, and a public sale of the lots took place during the following month. The first dwelling in the town was erected by Irwin B. Carnes, a carpenter. At about the same time Thomas H. Burton built a small log store house on the northeast corner of the square which for a short time was occupied by Burrell Beard. Anderson Lashlee also erected a log store and dwelling-house combined on the southeast corner of the square. Edward and James Haywood opened a store on the south side of the square. In 1838 C. K. Wyly began selling goods in the house formerly occupied by Beard; just previous to that time Samuel H. Burton had built a brick hotel on the adjoining lot, the site now occupied by the Stigall House. The first physician to locate in the town was J. L. Williams, who was among the earliest residents During the decade from 1840-50 the town continued to improve though somewhat slowly. Among the principal merchants of that period were C. K. and T. B. Wyly, Crawford and Alfred Rushing, Anderson Lashlee, John H. and Cave Farmer and John Phifer. In 1843 three or four young men of more than ordinary ability were added to the population of the town. Alvin Hawkins, afterward judge of the supreme court and governor of Tennessee, came as a young attorney just admitted to the bar. W. P. Morris came to take charge of the office of clerk of the county court, and M. L. Travis, for thirty years the leading physician of the county, came to engage in the practice of his profession. D. F. McElyea, afterward register of the county, also located during the same year.
The next decade, although a fairly prosperous period, witnessed no material increase in the population of the town. In 1850 the firm of Pickett & Morris engaged in the me