Editing Lawrence County, Tennessee (section)

==History==
Created by an act of the [[Tennessee General Assembly]] on October 21, 1817, Lawrence County was formed from lands previously part of [[Hickman County, Tennessee|Hickman]] and [[Giles County, Tennessee|Giles]] counties.<ref name=tehc />

It was named in honor of Captain [[James Lawrence]] (1781–1813),<ref name=tehc /> who while commanding the [[USS Chesapeake (1799)|USS ''Chesapeake'']] in an 1813 battle with the [[Royal Navy]] [[frigate]] [[HMS Shannon (1806)|HMS ''Shannon'']], issued his famous command: "Don't give up the ship! Blow her up." His men did anyway and Lawrence died of wounds.

Lawrenceburg was chosen as the county seat in 1819 as it was near the center of the county and because [[Jackson's Military Road]] ran just east of the town. In April 1821, the road was redirected through the center of the Lawrenceburg. The military road, the main route from [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], to [[Nashville, Tennessee]], played a significant role in the county's development.<ref name=tehc />

An early resident was [[David Crockett]], who served as one of the county's first commissioners and justices of the peace. Crockett lived in the county for several years and ran a [[Hydropower|water-powered]] [[grist mill]], [[gunpowder|powder]] mill and [[distillation|distillery]] on [[Shoal Creek (Tennessee River)|Shoal Creek]], (originally called the Sycamore River) where [[David Crockett State Park]] is now located.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tn.gov/environment/parks/DavidCrockettSP/ |title=David Crockett State Park |work=Tennessee State Parks |publisher=Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation |access-date=July 25, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709194237/http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/DavidCrockettSP/ |archive-date=July 9, 2012 }}</ref>

In the early 1870s, many [[German people|German]] [[Catholics]] moved into the area, including skilled tradesmen.<ref>{{NRHP url|id=64000802|title=National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: German Catholic Churches and Cemeteries of Lawrence County}}, 1984</ref> After the arrival of the railroad in 1883, the county became a major source of [[iron ore]].<ref name=tehc />

Between 1908 and 1915, there was an influx of settlers from [[Alabama]]. Most were [[cotton]] growers or worked in the [[timber]] industry. Logging soon declined, since the forests were not replanted after trees were harvested; however, cotton continued to be a major crop until the 1960s.<ref name=tehc />

In 1944, [[Amish]] people moved to the area and established a community in the north of the county.<ref name=tehc /> The Old Order Amish community has now become a tourist attraction.

The county has been struck by two killer tornadoes. On [[Tornado outbreak sequence of May 6–27, 1995|May 18, 1995]] a F4 tornado struck the county. On April 16, 1998, an F5 tornado hit the county, part of the [[1998 Nashville tornado outbreak]].

In June 2010, the [[Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs]] gave official recognition to six Native American groups, including the Central Band of [[Cherokee]], also known as the Cherokee of Lawrence County.<ref>[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/jun/21/6-tribes-granted-recognition/ Tom Humphrey, "State grants six Indian tribes recognition: Cherokee Nation may try to have action by Indian Affairs voided"], ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', June 21, 2010, accessed June 30, 2010</ref> The recognition of these tribes at a state level has stirred much controversy among federally recognized Indian tribes, who claim the recognition by a state is unconstitutional and threatens the status of existing tribes.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-07-07-new-tribes_N.htm?csp=34news] Clay Carey, "Battle grows bitter as Tennessee recognizes new Indian tribes", "USA TODAY", July 9, 2010, accessed July 13, 2010</ref>

In July 2017, the Hope Botanical Garden was formed in the Leoma community.<ref>[https://www.hopebotanicalgarden.org Hope Botanical Garden], Hope Botanical Garden official website, Accessed: December 1, 2018.</ref>