Putnam

Formed February 11, 1854 (81^st county)

Putnam County (79,844), Cookeville (34,822)                

The red brick Classical Revival columned courthouse was built in 1900 and enlarged in 1962.  The courthouse is on a square surrounded by Washington and Jefferson avenues and Broad and Spring streets.  James Yeaman is the designer.  United States Highway 70 North is one block south of the location.  A Judicial Center was added diagonally across the street in 1993.  There were 1854, 1855, and 1866 courthouses previously in Cookeville, the only county seat.  The county was formed on February 11, 1854 from parts of Fentress, Jackson, Smith, White, and Overton counties as the 81^st county.  A modern annex has recently been added.  Putnam County was named of American Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam.  The county seat is named for Politician Richard Fielding Cooke. 

Putnam County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 24 Commissioners.  Four Circuit Court Judges, One Chancery Court Judge, One General Court Judge, and One Juvenile Court Judge serve Putnam, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Overton, Pickett, and White counties.  The county is in the northern part of the state.  Nashville, Tennessee is west and Knoxville, Tennessee is east of the county.  The county center is in Cookeville 3.1 miles Southeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Overton, Cumberland, White, De Kalb, Smith, and Jackson counties. 

The area of the county is 401 square miles.  It is 58 out of 95 in the state.  It ranks 17 out of 95 in population in the state.  It has a density of 199.1 persons per square mile making it 18 out of 95 in the state.  Putnam County has 54.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 passes east to west in the county from Cumberland County to Smith County.  United States Highway 70 North parallels Interstate Highway 40 from Cumberland to Smith counties.  The county resembles a sedan car.  Cookeville is located near the center of the county.  Cookeville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 43.6% of the county population.  This county is in the Cookeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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