Cannon County
The area of Woodbury was first known as Danville after taking the post station from Woodville, less than a mile to the east in 1827 it was not changed until the county was formed.
Cannon County was organized by an act of Legislature on January 21, 1836. The western portion of Warren County, the northern part of Coffee County, the southeastern portion of Wilson County and the eastern portion of Rutherford County were taken from these counties to form the new county. The members of the first County Court of Cannon County received their commissions from Newton Cannon, the then Governor of Tennessee, and Gov. Cannon also appointed a commission of five members to establish the lines between the counties and lay off a public square at Danville, which was the name of the town until its name was changed to Woodbury in 1836, when the county was organized. Woodbury, which is still the county seat, was named for Gen. Levi Woodbury, of the Revolutionary War, and the county was named for Gov. Cannon. Before and for a while after 1836, Henry D. McBroom and his brother, Abel, owned the greater part of what is now the public square of Woodbury, and, in order to start the town to growing, Henry D. McBroom gave every alternate lot around the square to those who would build business or dwelling houses upon them. McBroom owned the only hotel or boarding house Danville had for many years during the early history of this section. His hotel was the first located on Stone's River, near where the old jail now stands, but he subsequently built the old hostelry known as the Dillon Hotel, and conducted the only inn of the town, or county, for many years after the organization of Cannon County. Henry Wiley, father of the late Captain H. A. Wiley, owned and conducted the only store in town at the time of the organization of the county. An interesting story is told illustrative of the variety of the goods handled at that time. One of the early merchants of the town had only one box of cigars in his store, and a customer came in and asked the price, when informed that they were worth 5 cents each, the customer stated that he would take them all. The merchant replied that he could not do that for he did not want to break his variety of cigars. Wiley's store and McBroom's hotel were for years the only evidence of a business center. Other stores were organized later at each of which, we are told, homemade apple brandy could be bought along with other commodities or necessaries. The Legislature of 1836 under Governor Cannon passed the act of organizing Cannon County and providing that the law become operative in May 1836, provision being made also for the election of a County Court and other county officials previous to that date. "By order of His Excellency, Gov. Cannon," the records say, the first County Court of Cannon County met in Woodbury in May 1836. The court was opened by Leighton Ferrell, Sheriff of Warren County, and was held at the hotel of Henry D. McBroom, Ely Bailey, a Justice of the Peace of Warren County was present and administered the oath of office to the members of the new court and to the other county officials. The court organized by the election of Thomas Powell, Chairman. The following are the other officials who presented their certificates of election and were qualified as the first officials of the county of Cannon: County Court Clerk: Samuel J. Garrison Sheriff: George Grizzle Register Alex F. McFerring Trustee Job Stephens Coroner: Alexander McKnight Ranger: Henry H. Clifton Entry Taker: William Stone Surveyor: Hugh Robinson, James Clara, Arch Stone, William Bates, John B. Stone and John Brown, who were appointed as a commission to lay off the town lots for which they were allowed $2 a day for their services. The courthouse commenced in 1837 and was finished in 1838. It was in January of 1838 on the 13th that on Motion of Mr. Lowry, a bill to establish a part of Wilson County to Cannon County, was read a second time and passed. On December 16, 1837 the House of Representatives, in an evening session, on the second reading passed the bill to incorporate the town of Woodbury. In 1850 there were eight merchants in town. Lawyers were F.D. Wrather, Abraham Burger, Jonathan Fare, Joshua Barton, and M.W. McKnight; eleven carpenters and 12 blacksmiths, 3 wagon makers, one saddlery, one tanner and a miller. C.S. New, W.D. Gowen, J.M. Gowen and John A. Wood were the town doctors. It was in 1852 that the town was incorporated but gave up its charter in 1880 because of the four-mile law. It was recharted in 1925. The First National Bank of Woodbury was organized in 1905 as a State Bank, known as the People's Bank, but was, two years afterwards, reorganized as a National Bank, with a capital stock of $25k. This bank declared a dividend of 10% in 1909 and passed 6% to the reserve fund. E. A. Brevard was the Cashier and Hon. Hugh L. Preston the President. In June of 1910 Cannon County had 4 banks located in three of the towns of the county. The Bank of Woodbury is the oldest institution of the kind in the county. It was organized in 1888 with a capital stock of $25k, which was increased in 1906 to $35k. The first officers of the bank were Warren C. Cummins, President; W. A. Wiley, Vice President; and S.M. Fugitte, Cashier. Maj. James A. Jones, who was the President of the bank in 1910 was the only surviving incorporator at the time. W. C. Covington served 10 years as Cashier and never lost a cent in the collection of moneys due. J. Palmer Wood was the Cashier at the bank from 1903 to 1910. The Directors of the bank had paid the stockholders a dividend of 20% a year for the first seven years. In 1910 the Bank of Auburn, located in Auburn, was a beautiful and prosperous village ten miles from Woodbury. The people of this section are energetic, prosperous and hospitable and their bank under the management of J. B. Adams had succeeded well. The bank was organized November 18, 1903. Mr. Adams had been connected with the bank since it's organization and he made the unparalleled record last year of making for the stockholders, a dividend of 25%. They have a 50% surplus. Stock in this bank, as in the Bank of Woodbury, sells for $2. Melton's Bank, at Gassaway, was also located in a prosperous section of Tennessee. John H. Melton is the Cashier, and they do a good business. Cannon County is situated at the foot of the Highland Rim, and has rich alluvial soil and scenery as beautiful as the vine-clad hills of sunny Italy. A writer in the county paper, the Cannon Courier, of April 19, 1901, says: "Many of the fair and beautiful scenes of this county could almost be compared to the natural scenery of Switzerland. The county is for the most part a rolling valley, dotted her and there with beautiful mountain peaks and the eye feasts on pleasing and enchanting scenery in every direction. The soil is tinctured with that limestone mineral so characteristic of all bluegrass sections of the United States, and it is an acceptable fact that the real bluegrass grows more natural with the greater results in Cannon County than any section of the whole county." Capt. W. H. Dunn, who visited this county while he was a livestock inspector said that Cannon County was one among the best stock counties in Tennessee. Blooded horses, cattle, sheep and hogs are the highest type are raised by our stockmen and farmers. The mule market of this county is second to none. Holstein, Jersey, Durhant and Hereford are the leading stocks of cattle raised, and Southdown and Hampshire sheep are raided abundantly. The pasture lands of Cannon are as fine as the best, and all kinds of fruit thrive here. Peaches grow and do well at Short Mountain. Ten to fifteen barrels of corn to the acre, oats, wheat, sugar cane, clover, alfalfa and timothy are produced in the county as fine ans in any county or State. By 1917 Woodbury hosted 2 banks, 2 schools (1 white & 1 colored), 6 churches (4 white & 2 colored) and 1 manufacturing plant. The Warren County line came by Short Mountain, running with the ridge line and going west to the head of Lockes Creek where Warren County, Rutherford County and Wilson County joined. Smith Count and Wilson county were on the north side of the Warren County line. Part of Sycamore and all of Canal Creek where in Smith County. Some of Sycamore and all of Hurricane Creek were in Wilson County. |