The fertile agricultural lands and majestic Cumberland Mountain wilderness that constitute Warren County belonged to the Cherokee Indians until the signing of the Third Treaty of Tellico on October 25, 1805, which officially opened up the region to pioneer settlers. Records show that a hunting party of white explorers made its way into the area from North Carolina and Virginia in 1769, and there is evidence that some families had settled in the territory as early as 1800. One of the earliest land grants is dated 1785 and was issued to Samson Collins in the vicinity of Rock Island. Warren County was officially established on November 26, 1807, by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly when the recently established county of White was divided. Within a decade, the population numbered almost 20,000. The authors present this book in celebration of Warren County's bicentennial in 2007, with its population currently numbering well over 40,000.
