Editing Finger, Tennessee (section)

== History ==
The area in and around Finger was settled in the early to mid-1820s. Originally named '''McIntyre's Crossing''', after Robert Thompson McIntyre, who was an early political leader and businessman, it was not named Finger until 1895. Between its settlement and 1895, the area progressed and both education and business were important to the area's inhabitants. During the American Civil War, the area provided many soldiers to the Union cause and the area largely Unionist and Republican in its politics.

In 1895, with the need of a post office to serve its growing population, a new name was needed to satisfy federal postal authorities. Originally, the town was to be named ''Cash.'' However, that idea was dropped and, according to the late historian Horry Hodges, the Rev. J.J. Franklin, a resident of nearby McNairy Station, attended the meeting convened to give the town a name. According to Hodges, tempers flared and Franklin derisively and jokingly suggested the name ''Finger'' after witnessing several locals engaged in Finger pointing.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Talbott |first=John E. |title=Let's Call It Finger: A History of North McNairy County & Finger, Tennessee & Its Surrounding Communities |publisher=Braybree Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-940127-03-3 |edition=Second |location=Nashville |pages=343 |language=English}}</ref>  Other sources suggest the city was named for an early resident, Andrew Jackson Finger (1815–1888).<ref>{{cite book|first=Larry|last=Miller|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zOzPQYkkbaAC|title=Tennessee Place Names|publisher=Indiana University Press|date=2001|pages=76–77}}</ref> However, this is unlikely as this man was not prominent and resided in the area only a short period. Hodges' account is given more credibility because he was an active political and educational figure in 1895, the year of the events, as well as a resident of Finger. His is the only contemporary account.

From 1895 until the onset of the Great Depression in 1929–1930, the town continued to grow. At one point, it supported no less than 8 stores, 2 physicians, a funeral parlor, a hotel, 2 banks, a post office, an elementary and high school, cotton gin and numerous other smaller businesses. Its location on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was one of the reasons for its successful development.<ref name=":0" />

The town is the home of the annual Finger Barbecue, an event held largely since 1895. As of 2021, having been held for more than 110 years out of the last 126 years, it is one of the oldest and most enduring events of its kind in the state of Tennessee.

The Finger Diner was the original model for the [[Hard Rock Cafe]] chain.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.isaac-tigrett.com/pdf/press_articles/Newsweek_HRC_Finger.pdf|title=Pushing Burgers|magazine=Newsweek|date=October 4, 1971|page=67|access-date=June 14, 2013|archive-date=July 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704022611/http://www.isaac-tigrett.com/pdf/press_articles/Newsweek_HRC_Finger.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Whitten|url=https://issuu.com/independent_appeal/docs/wk6indap|title=Finger Diner Basis for Iconic Hard Rock Café Design|newspaper=Independent Appeal|date=June 23, 2013|page=3A}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Newsweek – Isaac Tigrett Official Website |url=https://isaac-tigrett.com/press/newsweek/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The history of the town and surrounding area have been documented in a 511-page history entitled ''Let's Call It Finger: A History of North McNairy County & Finger, Tennessee & Its Surrounding Communities,'' written by a native and descendant of the McIntyre family, early settlers of the area.