Hardin County, Tennessee

Hardin County, Tennessee
Hardin County Courthouse in Savannah
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1819
Named for	Joseph Hardin, Sr.
Seat	Savannah
Largest city	Savannah
Area
• Total	596 sq mi (1,544 km2)
• Land	577 sq mi (1,494 km2)
• Water	19 sq mi (49 km2), 3.2%
Population
• (2010)	26,026
• Density	45/sq mi (17/km²)
Congressional district	7th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,026. The county seat is Savannah. The county was founded in November 1819 and named posthumously for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina; the State of Franklin; and the Southwest Territory.

Hardin County was the site of the Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) during the Civil War.

Two parties of settlers (totaling 26) struck out from Knoxville, Tennessee in late spring of 1816 bound for the general area which would eventually become Savannah, Tennessee. The first party, traveling by boat, came by way of the Tennessee River, landing in May at "the easteward curve of the Tennessee" [sic] at Cerro Gordo. The second, and larger, party had traversed overland and encountered several delays. Upon the arrival of the second group, the parties finally rejoined at Johnson Creek, near present day Savannah. It was now July, and the pioneers set about the laying down of the first permanent settlement by non-Native Americans in the area.

This second party was led by Joseph Hardin, Jr., son of Col. Joseph Hardin who had, before his death, accumulated several land grants to the area as rewards for his Revolutionary War service. Joseph, Jr. was accompanied on the trip by his brother, James Hardin. James was the founder of what would become the first county seat, Hardinville. The settlement was created in 1817 on nearby Hardin’s Creek —on the site of what was later renamed Old Town, Tennessee. Both men executed land grants in the area. They had fought alongside their father in the war and had been likewise rewarded with their own land patents, as well as inheriting some of their father's unclaimed grants.