Perhaps the most notable element in the history of Maury City is the record of the religious activity that gained the vicinity a place in the county’s history at least forty years before the town itself was established. According to the best available information, the territory within the limits of what is now Crockett County, up until 1825 did not have even one religious organization or church building. At about that time, however, the circuit rider of the Jackson Methodist Church began to preach, by appointment, once every four weeks at the home of Henry A. Powell, a member of the Methodist Church, who lived near the present location of the town. Then, in the latter part of 1830, the second regular meeting house for worship to be erected in the county came into existence when the residents of the community built a log church which was used by all denominations in the area. It was named Palmyra; Goodspeed, in History of Tennessee, has told us of its influence; “In the summer of 1831, Capt. Porter, one of the early settlers of the Lanefield neighborhood, and an enthusiastic Methodist, conceived the idea of holding a camp-meeting, and the following fall Palmyra Campground was established at the church of that name, and a campmeeting held. The meeting was continued for a week, the people camping in tents and improvised shanties, and upward of 100 conversions were made. The result of the meeting worked quite a religious revolution over the entire Forked Deer River country, and from that time, churches were established in all sections of the County.”
Maury City, established in 1876, had its origin in the fact that the building of a railroad through the area was contemplated at that time. Stock in the projected line was sold, some rails were laid, and there was one run made by a train to the Forked Deer River from Jackson by way of Brownsville. Plans called for the building of a station, which was to be called Maury’s Station in honor of one of the officials of the railroad. The operation of the rail line never materialized, but the little village slowly grew, became a town in 1906, and received its charter September 7, 1915.
The first school building in the town was constructed in 1880; the high school was built in 1911.
The preceding article was contributed to this web page, with permission of the Crockett County Historical Society, by Natalie Huntley.
This information was taken from an article compiled and written by Maxine Mayo, and, published in the book “Crockett County Courthouse Centennial, 1874 – 1974”, prepared by the Crockett County Historical Society.
This article is not to be reprinted, or used for any commercial purposes.