Early Voting Announcement
The Election Commission Office will be conducting early voting for the August 2008 election, starting on July 18th through August 2, 2008. The hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The election office is located at 931 Industrial Park Road (lower level of Health Dept. Bldg) in Dandridge. For more information, please call 397-3440.
History of the Jefferson County Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse
The Jefferson County Courthouse, located on Main Street in Dandridge, is one of the oldest County Courthouses in Tennessee which is still in use. Erected in 1845, by Hickman Brothers Construction for $6,666, the current courthouse replaced a much smaller log structure. It is most likely that the plans for the Jefferson County Courthouse were drawn by Judge Robert Hynds, Chairman of the Building Committee.
The Courthouse is a two-story brick structure built in the Greek Revival Style. Some of its features include handmade bricks, a wooden cupola, and a unique roof framing system void of nails. It is a prime example of the level of craftmanship that was predominant in Tennessee during that time.
Since there has never been a fire at the Courthouse, documents from 1792 are intact. These documents include Wills, Marriage Records, etc. A County Museum, established in 1957, is located inside the Courthouse which displays Indian and Civil War relics, historic documents, and artifacts from the area. There are records which show that the Courthouse even served as a hospital during the Civil War.
In the 1940's the construction of the Douglas Dam threatened to cover Dandridge and the Courthouse with the waters from Douglas Lake. However, the town and Courthouse were saved from extinction by President Roosevelt's executive orders to build a dike to prevent the flooding of Dandridge. Since that time a two-story brick addition has been constructed on the west side of the original Courthouse to accommodate for growth to the county.