McNairy County, Tennessee
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 35° 10.227 W 088° 35.629
16S E 354857 N 3893108
McNairy County Tennessee was established in 1823 with the first County seat in Purdy, Tennessee. In 1896 the County Seat was relocated to its current location in Selmer, TN population 7,000.?
Waymark Code: WM11F63
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 10/12/2019
Views: 3
County of courthouse: McNairy County
Location of couty: Southern Border - SW section of state
Crossroads: US-64 and US-45
Location of courthouse: Court St., between 3rd St. & 4th St., Selmer
Phone: General Sessions (731) 645-1015, Circuit Court (731) 645-1016, Fax (731) 645-1003, Juvenile Court (731) 645-1020
Courthouse built: 1949
Architect: Marr & Holman
Contractor: Sumner Construction Co.
The Person:
"John McNairy (March 30, 1762 – November 12, 1837) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Tennessee, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
"Born on March 30, 1762, in Lancaster County, Province of Pennsylvania, British America, McNairy read law in 1788. He entered private practice in Jonesboro, North Carolina (unorganized territory from April 2, 1790, Southwest Territory from May 26, 1790) starting in 1788. He was a Judge of the Superior Court of Law and Equity, Mero District, starting in 1788. He was nominated to the Territorial Court for the Southwest Territory by President Washington on June 7, 1790, and was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 8, 1790, serving in that post until his appointment to the District of Tennessee." ~ Wikipedia
The Place:
"Created on October 8, 1823, McNairy County was formed from a part of Hardin County and named in honor of John McNairy, whom President George Washington had appointed as one of the three judges of the Southwest Territory.
"The current county courthouse is located in Selmer, Tennessee and was designed by Architects Marr & Holman. Sumner Construction Company completed building the structure in 1949.
"The legendary Buford Pusser and his motto of "Walk tall and carry a big stick" served as the sheriff of McNairy County from 1964 to 1970. The courthouse and jail in Selmer were his base of operations. He gained prominence for his fight against illegal distilleries, bootleggers, gambling establishments, and corruption in the county. His story has been made famous in the Walking Tall series of movies and in numerous documentaries and books." ~ JL Ramsaur Photography