Chester County

This map is intended for general geographical understanding. It does not provide the specific locations of the farms in order to protect the owners’ privacy. Map Courtesy of Carole Swann, Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

Chester County was formed in 1882 and was created from parts of neighboring Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy, and Madison counties. The county was named after Colonel Robert I. Chester, a quartermaster in the War of 1812, an early postmaster in Jackson, and a federal marshal for the Western District. The county seat, Henderson, was founded along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad line in the late 1850s. The county has primarily been an agricultural region for most of its history. During the New Deal era of the 1930s, a large portion of the western end of the county became part of Chickasaw State Park and Forest project of the Farm Security Administration. For more information regarding Chester County, please go to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture website.