Towns & Communities

Scotts Hill

Snuggled half in Decatur County and half in Henderson County lies the thriving town of Scotts Hill.  It was in 1825 that Micajah Scott moved to Tennessee from North Carolina and settled at this locality.  He opened the first store and the town was named in his honor.  The old stage road ran through the town.

With the introduction of the stage coach came the post office service.  The stage coach carried both passengers and mail.  When the coach stopped, the passengers would alight and tour the town while the postmaster sorted the mail.  A horn was sounded when the stage coach was ready to depart.  Ephraim Austin was perhaps the first postmaster of Scotts Hill, and the post office was located in part of Austin's store.

The growing prosperity of the town was evidenced in 1906 when the Farmers State Bank was chartered.  It had a capital stock of $10,000, a surplus of $8,000 and resources by 1929 of $175,000.

Misfortune hit the town twice in 1916.  On May 17 of that year, a tornado swept the town, destroying the property and damaging the area.  Again on October 16, an entire section of town was destroyed by fire.  The blaze originated in the J. M. Brasher Store.  Twelve stores, a barber shop, the I.O.O.F. Hall, blacksmith shop, cotton gin, post office, bank, hotel, and four residences were consumed by flames.

Tornado or fire could not completely destroy Scotts Hill.  The town was rebuilt and has extended its boundaries a distance of three miles.  Extensions have been made on the Liberty and Stage Line Road as well as at Taylor's Crossing.

Since incorporation in the early 1900s, those who have served as mayor are Tom McKenzie, Acey Tarlton, Ellis Scott, J. E. Holland, Perry Murphy, H. T. Powers, Gordon Turner, and Wilson Miller.

 

From "Tennessee County History Series: Decatur County" by Lillye Younger 1979. ISBN 0-87870-077-3