Editing Meigs County, Tennessee (section)

==History==
Before 1819, the area that is now Meigs County was part of the [[Cherokee]] nation. It had been inhabited for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples. European trades had interacted with the Cherokee since the late 17th century, coming from colonial settlements in [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia]] and [[Province of South Carolina|South Carolina]].

Following the [[American Revolutionary War]], [[American pioneer|American settlers]] began to enter the territory in greater numbers. They established [[ferry|ferries]] across the [[Tennessee River]] from [[Rhea County, Tennessee|Rhea County]] as early as 1807. [[Return J. Meigs, Sr.|Colonel Return J. Meigs]], a Revolutionary veteran and namesake for the county, was appointed as the United States Indian agent, based in Rhea County until 1817. He supervised trade with the Cherokee. That year, the agency was moved to an area in what is now Meigs County.

In 1819, the US made what is known as the Calhoun Treaty with the Cherokee, forcing them to cede lands north of the [[Hiwassee River]] for settlement.<ref>{{NRHP url|id=64000811|title=National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Historic Resources of Meigs County}}, 1983</ref> Meigs County was formed by the Tennessee legislature in 1836 from parts of Rhea County.<ref name=tehc />

In 1830, the [[United States Congress]] passed the [[Indian Removal Act]], forcibly removing the  “[[Five Civilized Tribes]]” from the [[Southeastern United States|Southeast]]. The Cherokee were the last to go. They were gathered in [[Internment|internment camps]] in Tennessee and Alabama before being forced on the long overland journey to [[Indian Territory]] (modern day [[Oklahoma]]), in a 19th-century event known as the "[[Trail of Tears]]." Many crossed the Tennessee River at [[Blythe Ferry]], in the southwestern part of Meigs County.<ref name=tehc />

In June 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil War, the people of Meigs County were among the few in East Tennessee to vote in favor of Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession. The county voted 481 to 267 in favor of the Ordinance, which severed the state's ties to the Union. The county provided troops for both sides during the course of the war.<ref name=tehc />

===20th century to present===
In 1985, the Meigs County Family and Community Education ("FCE") Club began a large quilt to commemorate the early history of Meigs County as part of Tennessee's 1986 Homecoming celebrations. It includes images of fourteen sites representing the early history of Meigs County. The central quilt design, including a map to locate the sites represented, was made by the late Flossie Bennett, a longtime leader of the FCE. A committee of representatives from Ten Mile, Peakland, Concord, Goodfield, and Decatur, decided which sites would be included.

These were the [[Elisha Sharp House]] (now the Sharp-Wasson-Worth House, c. 1825), the Stewart House (1830), R. H. Johnson's stable, Mount Zion church and Cemetery (1830), Zeigler's Mill (1850, previously called Gettys Mill), the Washington Ferry (1808), Pisgah Church (1818), the old gymnasium (c. 1822), the old Meigs County Courthouse (1904), the old Volunteer Electric Cooperative Building (1935), the Ashley House (1885), and the Sam Eaves Store (c. 1861). The quilt also included [[Hereford (cattle)|Hereford cattle]], since Meigs County is noted for its beef cattle.

The quilt was awarded "Best Original Design" at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum's Quilt Show. Initially displayed at the Meigs-Decatur Public Library, the quilt now hangs in the Meigs County Historical Museum in Decatur.<ref>Johnny Hutsell-Royster, "Meigs history told one stitch at a time," ''The Daily Post-Athenian,'' Athens, Tennessee (Wednesday, February 28, 2001), 12-13; "Meigs County historical quilt on display at library", ''The Daily Post-Athenian,'' Athens, Tennessee (date unknown, "1986 revisited").</ref>

A new building was constructed in Decatur to house the collection of the Meigs County Historical Museum. It opened in July 2002.<ref>Paulette Jones, "Meigs Historical Society Praises Nell Worth," ''The Daily Post Athenian,'' Athens, Tennessee, (July 23, 2010); Johnny, Hutshell-Royster, "$100,000 gift gives museum a boost," ''The Daily Post-Athenian'' (Thursday, February 15, 2001); and Ron Clayton, "$100,000 gift boosts Meigs museum fund," ''Chattanooga Times Free Press,'' Chattanooga, Tennessee (Friday, February 16, 2001), B2; and Johnny Hutsell-Royster, "Meigs Museum continues to grow and educate," ''The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens,'' Tennessee (Friday, March 26, 2004), C4</ref> The Meigs County Historical Museum houses many court and family records. On permanent display is a mural depicting Main Street in Decatur in the 1930s. The mural was funded by grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the VEC Customer shares program. It was painted by local artist Bill McDonald.<ref>[http://www.meigscountyhistoricalmuseum.com/id5.html Meigs County Historical Museum website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803002706/http://www.meigscountyhistoricalmuseum.com/id5.html |date=August 3, 2010 }}. Retrieved: March 11, 2013.</ref>