The Location
In looking at the significance of a courthouse square, one should consult "The Central Courthouse Square in the American County Seat" by Edward T. Price. Price defines a central courthouse square as "a rectangular block surrounded by streets, with the courthouse, often the grandest and most ornate building in the county, standing alone in the middle of the square and the town's leading business houses enclosing the square symmetrically on all four sides". This definition provides a good description of most country town squares. Like in many towns across Middle Tennessee, typically, construction of a courthouse is completed on a new site, where it becomes the center of the county seat, which in turn becomes the trading center and largest town in the county. The courthouse, in the early development of county seats and country towns, served as a magnet that attracted people and businesses.
As far as the origins of these squares are concerned, you don't need to look any further than right her on the Shelbyville, Tennessee Square. "The Shelbyville Plan" emerged during the early 1800s and that design was carried in all directions. It took hold primarily in the Midwest. The Shelbyville square seems to have been developed right here in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
The Area
Bedford County was officially created in 1807 when the citizens of Rutherford County living south of the Duck and Stones Rivers successfully petitioned the governor to split Rutherford County into two counties. The new county was named after Revolutionary War officer Thomas Bedford Jr., who was a large landowner in the area. The county seat, Shelbyville was named for Major General Isaac Shelby of the Revolutionary War and the State of Kentucky’s first Governor. The landscape is comprised of 475 square miles of beautiful rolling pastured lands mixed with high elevation hills and flat river bottoms. The Duck River meanders through the county from East to West and eventually empties into the majestic Tennessee River in Humphreys County. At 284 miles long, the scenic Duck is the longest river located entirely in the State of Tennessee and is home to more than 50 species of freshwater mussels and 151 species of fish, making it one of the most biologically diverse rivers in North America.
The Jack Trail GeoTour
The Jack Trail GeoTour is a series of geocaches along the backroads and small towns of Middle Tennessee. There is no fixed itinerary, like on a traditional trail, but rather a series of points of interest in a self-guided, goal-oriented plan. We have created a special passport, which you can download here, which lets you track your progress as you hunt specially placed geocaches along the tour. This passport will help you collect “code words” to qualify for special geocoins for completion of the GeoTour.
Special thanks to Scoot the Frog for archiving an existing listing to make this cache possible.