Formed December 23, 1843 (75th county)
Lewis County (12,581), Hohenwald (3,667)
The red brick Federalist courthouse was built in 1939. It is at the intersection of Linden and Park avenues. United States Highway 412 passes one block to the south of the courthouse. Hart and Russell are the architects. The county was organized on December 23, 1843 from parts of Lawrence, Hickman, Maury, and Wayne counties as the 75th county. Gordon (1843), Newburg (1848), and Hohenwald (1897) have all served as the county seat. Lewis County is named for explorer Meriwether Lewis. He is also the namesake for the county seat of Marshall County. The county seat name is a German derivative of “high forest.”
Lewis County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 21 Commissioners. Two Circuit Court Judges, Two Chancery Court Judges, and One General Court Judge serve Lewis, Hickman, Perry, and Williamson counties. Lewis County is in southern Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee is northeast and Memphis, Tennessee is southwest of the county. The county center is 7.6 miles Southeast of Hohenwald. The county is surrounded clockwise by Hickman, Maury, Lawrence, Wayne, and Perry counties.
The area of the county is 282 square miles. It is 77 out of 95 in the state. It ranks 84 out of 95 in population in the state. It has a density of 44.6 persons per square mile making it 73 out of 95 in the state. Lewis County has 29.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 412 passes east to west through the county from Maury County to Perry County. Lewis County is shaped like a popped kernel of popcorn. Hohenwald is located in the western third of the county. Hohenwald is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 29.2% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced HOE-EN-WALD.
Hohenwald
