Hawkins

Formed January 1, 1797 (6^th county)

Hawkins County (56,833), Rogersville (4,420), Church Hill (6,737)

The large columns stand out on the 1836 red brick facility.  The courthouse is at the intersection of Main and Depot streets.  United States Highway 11 West passes five blocks to the northwest of the site.  John Dameron designed this Jeffersonian style courthouse.  The structure was enlarged in 1870 and remodeled in 1929.  An Annex was added in 1999.  An eternal flame and veterans’ memorials are in front of the courthouse.  Inside are wooden floors and stairs.  The courthouse was remodeled in 1870 and 1929.  The county was established on January 1, 1797 from Sullivan County as the 6^th county.  Rogersville has always been the county seat.  The county is named for Senator Benjamin Hawkins.  Rogersville was named for settler Joseph Rogers. 

Hawkins County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 21 Commissioners.  Three Circuit Court Judges, Two Chancery Court Judges, One General Court Judge, and One Juvenile Court Judge serve Hawkins, Greene, Hamblen, and Hancock counties.  Hawkins County is in the northeast part of Tennessee.  Virginia is on its northern border.  Knoxville, Tennessee is southwest and Asheville, North Carolina is southeast of the county.  The county center is 3.9 miles Northeast of Rogersville near Amis.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Virginia and Sullivan, Greene, Hamblen, Grainger, and Hancock counties. 

The area of the county is 500 square miles.  It is 40 out of 95 in the state.  It ranks 24 out of 95 in population in the state.  It has a density of 113.67 persons per square mile making it 29 out of 95 in the state.  Hawkins County has 38.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 11 West passes northeast to southwest in the county from Sullivan County to Grainger County.  The county resembles a ball point pen pointing northeast.  Rogersville is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Church Hill is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Rogersville is the county seat and Church Hill is the largest city.  Rogersville is 7.8% of the county population while Church Hill is 11.9% of the county population.  This county is in the Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol Metropolitan Statistical Area.