City History:

Calloway County, was formed in 1822, the 72nd in the Commonwealth. Parceled from Hickman County, it encompasses 395 square miles. It was named in honor of Col. Richard Callaway. (Note: throughout the history you will find two spellings of this name: Callaway and Calloway - depending upon the books used in the reference).

At one time it included what is now Marshall County. It is bounded on the North by Marshall County, East by the Tennessee River, South by the Tennessee state line and West by Graves County.

The county included: lands (in the western section) as flat as prairie; once known as 'barren lands', but later covered with heavy timber.

The soils were particularly fertile and well adapted to the growth of "Gold Leaf Tobacco"--the chief product of the county. At one time, there were as many as 15 tobacco factories here.

The principal waterways included the Blood River, Clark's River, Rockhouse, Bee and Jonathan Creeks.