Editing Camden, Tennessee (section)

==History==
Native Americans were living in the Camden area as early as the [[Archaic period in North America|Archaic period]] (8000-1000 BC). A significant [[Eva Site|archaeological site]] has been excavated at nearby [[Eva, Tennessee|Eva]] (the actual site is now submerged under [[Kentucky Lake]]), uncovering evidence of semi-permanent habitation dating back 7000 years.<ref>Charles Faulkner, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=443 Eva Site]."  ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2009.  Retrieved: February 11, 2013.</ref>

The first European settlers arrived in the Benton County area around 1818, shortly after (and probably before) the county was purchased from the [[Chickasaw]]. Camden has its roots as a stopover along the stage coach route between [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] and [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]]. Initially known as "Tranquility", the community had attained the name "Camden" by the 1830s, a name influenced by the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]-era [[Battle of Camden]].<ref>Jonathan Smith, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=81 Benton County]." ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2009.  Retrieved: February 11, 2013.</ref> When Benton County was created in 1835, Camden was chosen as the county seat. The City of Camden was officially incorporated in 1838.<ref>Jonathan Kennon Smith, ''A History of Benton County, Tennessee to 1900'' (Memphis, Tenn.: J. Edge Co., 1970), 32, 100-101.</ref>

On October 20, 1922, [[Lynching of George and Ed Hartley|George and Ed Hartley were lynched]] by a large mob outside Camden County Jail after being convicted of manslaughter.{{sfn|''The Camden Chronicle'', October 27,|1922|p=1}}