Manchester, Tennessee
>Home
>Next
History
"Since Manchester is located west of the Atlantic Ocean and north of the Gulf of Mexico, it may surprise some to know that its history goes back 2,000 years (and maybe more) to the times when ancient Native Americans roamed and ruled the Tennessee hills. The earliest evidence of human life in the Manchester area is 2,000 years old at Old Stone Fort, a Native American site located at the confluence of the Little Duck and Duck Rivers. As the rivers close in on one another, a great elevation change occurs at the west end of the fort down to the rivers. The elevation of the fort does not change. This natural land formation, coupled with man-made mounds on top of these cliffs, made for great protection against neighboring tribes. The 50-acre hilltop enclosure is believed to have served as a central ceremonial gathering place for some 500 years.
"Advancing some 1,300 years, Coffee County came into existence on January 8, 1836, from parts of four neighboring counties - Franklin to the south, Bedford to the west, Warren to the northeast and Grundy to the southeast. A battle ensued over naming the county either Coffee or Webster. The name 'Webster' came from the then Speaker of the State Senate and resident of the Noah community. 'Coffee' is the name of General John Coffee, a close friend of then President Andrew Jackson. Coffee was regarded as a hero of the War of 1812 and the Creek (Indian) War. In the end, the state legislature chose, by one vote, to name the county 'Coffee' instead of 'Webster'.
"In another name change, there was a small village very close to the site of the proposed county seat: Mitchellsville. That name would be changed to Manchester, after the industrial city of Manchester, England. It was believed that the Tennessee version of its English cousin would mimic its relative in becoming an industrial city, due to its proximity
to the aforementioned waterways of the area. Also making its way through history was another small village called Stone Fort. Stone Fort had already jumped on the industrial track before Manchester did, and it had several water-powered milling operations from 1836 to 1840. One of those installation's remnants (an old paper mill) is still very visible inside Old Stone Fort State Park.
"Through the years, Manchester has had size battles as well as name changes. Due to its proximity to the center of the new county, Hillsboro (then called 'Pond Spring') gave Manchester a tough race for the county seat. Hillsboro was actually larger than Manchester at the time. The other village in the county was Tullahoma, nestled at the junction of two major railway lines. Though small in the early half of the 19th century, Tullahoma grew to become the county’s largest city and was made the county seat.
"The Civil War did not leave Manchester and Coffee County unscathed. In June of 1863, Union forces came southward from their victory at the battle of Murfreesboro and engaged Confederate forces in northwestern Coffee County. Though it was a small battle in terms of the outcome of the war, it was the first time that Spencer repeating rifles were used (seven to be specific). Severely outnumbered, the Union troops were still able to route their opponents en route to the next big battle of the war in Chattanooga, Tennessee."
(Text used from <http://www.macoc.org>.)