Sunday, March 13, 2011
What Happened In Lawrenceburg During The Big New Madrid Quake?
The 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes were a series of earthquakes beginning with an initial pair of very large earthquakes on December 16, 1811.
According to maps showing the effects of the quakes in 1811 and 1812, Lawrenceburg would have felt the tremor.
For starters there were not that many settlers in this area of the state in 1811. On October 21, 1817, the Tennessee General Assembly created Lawrence County territory acquired by treaty with the Chickasaw Indians.
A section of Hickman County and a small portion of Giles County were included in its boundaries.
Local government was established in 1818. Lawrenceburg did not become the county seat until 1819. Seven years after the New Madrid Quake.
The earliest census data we found for Lawrence County is 1820. (See it here)
David Crockett was 25 years of age in 1811 and living in east Tennessee at the time.
Crockett did not become Justice of the Peace for Lawrence County until 1818 and a member of the Commission of Lawrenceburg until1819.
Lawrence County was still in the eary settlement stage during the New Madrid earthquake with maybe several hundred people in the area. Today it is home to over 40,000.
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