Hardin

Formed November 1, 1819 (45^th county)

Hardin County (26,829), Savannah (7,222)                

The red brick Colonial Revival courthouse was built in 1950.  It sits on a square at Main, Williams, Court, and Adams streets.  Main Street is United States Highway 64 in the city.  Joseph Holman and Thomas Marr combined for the designs.  The facility features a clock tower, columns and veterans’ memorials on the outside.  The inside has marble walls and a county map on the floor.  There was a 1905 courthouse earlier in Savannah, the only county seat.  The county was founded on November 1, 1819 as the 45^th county.  Hardin County is named for Territorial Legislator Joseph Hardin.  The county seat is named for Savannah, Georgia.  Hardin County was the birthplace of 1 Tennessee Governor, L. Ray Blanton. 

Hardin County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 19 Commissioners.  Two Circuit Court Judge and One General Court Judge serve Hardin, Benton, Carroll, Decatur, and Henry counties.  The county is situated on the southern border with both Mississippi and Alabama.  Memphis, Tennessee is west and Nashville, Tennessee is northeast of the county.  The county center is 3.7 miles Southeast of Savannah nearer Olivet.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Decatur and Wayne counties and Alabama and Mississippi and McNairy, Chester, and Henderson counties. 

The area of the county is 578 square miles.  It is 18 out of 95 in the state.  It ranks 55 out of 95 in population in the state.  It has a density of 46.4 persons per square mile making it 71 out of 95 in the state.  Hardin County has 34.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 64 crosses the county from east to west from Wayne County to McNairy County.  The county is rectangular except for the wavy northeast corner.  Savannah is located west of center in the county.  Savannah is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 26.9% of the county population.