Formed December 7, 1807 (30th county)
Bledsoe County (14,916), Pikeville (1,822)
The dark red brick Federalist structure was erected in 1910. The building was renovated in 1983. It sits on a square at Main, Spring, Frazier, and Courthouse streets. United States Highway 127 Business is Main Street in the town. W. K. Brown & Brother provided the designs. The courthouse features columns and memorials on the grounds. A veterans’ mural is on the inside. There were 1821 and 1907 courthouses earlier. Bledsoe County was established on December 7, 1807 from a part of Roane County as the 30th county. It is named for Revolutionary War soldier Andrew Bledsoe. Madison was the first county seat until 1816 when Pikeville became the seat. The county seat is named for Pikeville, North Carolina. Bledsoe County was the birthplace of 1 Tennessee Governor, James B. Flazier.
Bledsoe County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 13 Commissioners. Three Circuit Court Judges, One Chancery Court Judge, One General Court Judge, and One Juvenile Court Judge serve Bledsoe, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rhea, and Sequatchie counties. The county is located in eastern Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee is east and Chattanooga, Tennessee is south of the county. The county center is 2.3 miles Northeast of Pikeville. The county is surrounded clockwise by Cumberland, Rhea, Hamilton, Sequatchie, and Van Buren counties.
The area of the county is 406 square miles. It is 57 out of 95 in the state. It ranks 78 out of 95 in population in the state. It has a density of 36.7 persons per square mile making it 85 out of 95 in the state. Bledsoe County has 12.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 127 enters the county from the northeast, Cumberland County, and exits to the southwest, Sequatchie County. The county looks like a bowl tipping to the southeast. Pikeville is located near the center of the county. Pikeville is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 12.2% of the county population.
Pikeville
