Category Archives: History

W. T. Turner, born in 1854, settled east of Ridgely and north off the Gratio-Ridgely Road about 2 miles. Mr. Turner built a sawmill there in the late 1800’s, It had closed by the 1920’s. The new (1990) home of … Continue reading →

Ridgely began to flourish after the caving of Old Reelfoot into the river. The original pioneers who established Ridgely are: Alexander, Ed Alexander, W. L. Alexander, W. R. Alexander, W. S. Algee, W. R. Auston, John Beardslee, G. C. Bird, … Continue reading →

In 1876-1877, Old Reelfoot appears in the Gazette described as a “post office and settlement of 30 people, known as Danehower’s Landing on the Mississippi River in Lake County, 12 miles from Tiptonville, the seat of justice, 25 miles west … Continue reading →

Written by Larry Cronan The first village of any size between Reelfoot Lake and the Mississippi River was a village that later became known as Cronanville.   All of the early settlers chose to live either on the bank of the river or on the … Continue reading →

A settlement on Reelfoot Lake East of Tiptonville on State Highways 21 and 22 across the highway from a state park by the same name. According to Lexie Leonard, a life-long resident of Bluebank, the settlement was so named because … Continue reading →

The village of Bessie was named for the daughter of James C. And Mary Nevill Harris and the wife of Col. Albert E. Markham. Bessie was located on state highway 22 a few miles south of the Kentucky border. A … Continue reading →

The following list of towns, villages and place names have been compiled by Betty Wynn Sumara and Abigail Rice Hyde. Sources include County records, County Court minutes , school board records, United States Postal records and personal knowledge.The list will … Continue reading →

Reelfoot Lake A series of earthquakes beginning with the first great shock on December 16, 1811 continued for many months. On the night of February 6, 1812 and extending into the hours after midnight the earth opened up and churning … Continue reading →