South Fulton was first known as Jacksonville and aptly so since land in the area once belonged to Andrew Jackson. It is recorded that Andrew Jackson sold 1000 acres in northeast Weakley County in 1823. Jacksonville existed from about 1859 until 1895 when South Fulton was first chartered and has also been known as Pontotoc KY, Fulton Station and Fulton. Goodspeed refers to the town as Jacksonville, population about 300, in his 1887 history.

This area of Weakley county was added to Obion County as District 16 in 1867. The name continued to be used as noted by the Jacksonville Masonic Lodge No. 50 and Jacksonville Free Will Baptist Church, built in 1880.

This is NOT the stage coach stop near Harris called Jackson Station, the early 1900 Jacksonville School, nor the Jacksonville area in the southwest corner of Obion County. In the 1860 census, microfilm, District One is Jacksonville and from the residents I would place the area in the northeast corner of Obion County – but not the portion or Obion County that was at that time Weakley County.

Early Settlers in the 1820’s: Daniel Lasswell (Lacewell, some spellings) and sons Daniel, Joseph and Peter; Samuel Majors, John Horton, George Horton and Peter Mooney. In 1826, Alex , N.J., Jesse M. and Gideon Paschall came from Carroll County NC to Weakley County TN. It appears that Gideon and N.J. were brothers and doctors. Records are unclear about their father who may be Alex or Jesse – the reading is ambiguous.

In 1824, Rice Williams was first granted authority to lay out the line between Obion and Weakley County. The lines were changed somewhat in 1857, 1858 and 1867; and in 1868 the 16th District moved from Weakley to Obion. Other changes corrected some errors in 1889, 1897 and 1937, the latter changing the William A Smith property to Obion County.

South Fulton was incorporated 4 April 1895 with these boundaries:

• Beginning with J. W. Gholson’s northwest corner
• West with State Line to Dick J. Bard’s northeast corner
• South to N.N & M.V.RR, southeast side
• East to Harris Fork Creek
• North to Gholson’s

The charter was repealed in February 1903 and followed by an act in March 1903 to incorporate with these officers: Mayor Robert Milner; Aldermen: W. S. Cavendar, W.W. Morris, Alex Roberts, W. N. Robinson, Dr. R. N Whitehead, and J. R. Wilson; Marshall Ed Bradshaw; Treasurer: S. A. McDade.

By 1905 seven saloons were in South Fulton and a large group of citizens led by Walter W. Morris petitioned for repeal of the charter to take advantage of the Tennessee Four-mile Law prohibiting saloons within four miles of an incorporated school. And in 1909 South Fulton was again incorporated with S. A. McDade as mayor.

Older citizens include: Sol Love, J. M. McDowell, Robert S. Morris, Dr. Nat Morris, Peter Mott, Mrs. James Norman, Dr. G. W. Paschall, Dr. S. G. Patterson, Mrs. H. T. Smith, Marion Thomas and Joe Wade.

District Attorney General Claiborne Peeples tells me he spent a pleasant and happy childhood in South Fulton – and if memory serves me correctly, graduated from high school there. And that’s where my mom and dad were married in 1928 – and many of you can lay claim to the same, but I don’t know the vows were said before S. A. McDade of “marryin’ fame” – 7,258 couples.