A brief History Of Centerville

In 1807, the Tennessee General Assembly created a new county. An amendment was added to the bill that specified that the new county should be named in honor of Edwin Hickman, who in 1791 lead a surveying party from North Carolina into the area. The surveying crew camped near a small creek that flows into the Duck River. The next morning, Indians attacked and Hickman and other members of his party were killed.

The original boundaries of the county extended all the way to the Alabama state line and Vernon was named as the first county seat. Throughout the next decade, Hickman County was divided into several smaller counties and a group of citizens wanted to move the county seat to Centerville, which as the name implies is located in the center of Hickman County. In 1823, the town of Centerville became the county seat. The people of Vernon, not wanting the county seat moved, was angry, so the courthouse was dismantled at night and moved along with the records to Centerville.

The correct address and zip code of Centerville is: Centerville, TN 37033