Perry County Library

Linden & Lobelville
Tennessee

Linden: (931) 589-5011
Lobelville: (931) 593-3111

Historical Records of Perry County

Historical Society

The Historical Society of Perry County felt there was a need for its own room to store and maintain the county's historical and other pertinent records for future generations seeking their ancestors. Funds were raised to cover a matching grant to pay for the addition to the Perry County Library in Linden. Thus, the Genealogy Room of Perry County was born.

Genealogy

The Genealogy Room is an addition to the Linden main branch of the Perry County Public Library, 104 College Avenue, Linden, TN. Researchers are welcome to trace family records in Perry County, Tennessee.

Contact
Call: (931) 589-5011, ask for Michelle Pounders.
Email: PerryHS3@gmail.com

Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs-Fri 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
Closed Sat-Sun-Mon.
Open by appointment upon request.

Location: 104 College Avenue
Linden, TN 37096

Projects of the Perry County, TN, Historical Society

Pinckney’s Tomb

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Pinckney’s Tomb, also known as the Hufstedler Gravehouse, stands near Linden, Tennessee, as the largest grave shelter in the state and a rare example of 19th-century vernacular cemetery architecture. Built of native limestone and wood to protect the resting place of local farmer Pinckney Hufstedler and his family, the structure was enclosed with wooden walls and a roof at Hufstedler’s request to keep rainwater from reaching his tomb. Recognized by the Tennessee Preservation Trust as one of the state’s most endangered historic sites, the Perry County Historical Society has worked to preserve the gravehouse, ensuring its stability and legacy. Though located on private property, Pinckney’s Tomb remains open to the public, with signs from Linden guiding visitors to this unique piece of Tennessee history.

Cedar Grove Iron Furnace

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Cedar Grove Furnace near Linden, Tennessee, stands as the only remaining double-stack charcoal furnace in the Western Highland Rim. Built in the 1830s from hand-hewn native limestone and lined with handmade firebrick, it was among the first in the state to use the revolutionary “hot blast” smelting technique. Once the center of a thriving ironworks community of over 100 workers, including enslaved laborers, Cedar Grove produced tons of pig iron, which was shipped down the Tennessee River, before operations ceased during the Civil War. Preserved today as a county landmark, its massive stone ruins serve as a striking reminder of Tennessee’s early industrial heritage.

Restoring Court Records

Listed among the Perry County Historical Society’s most significant preservation efforts, the Court Records Restoration Project focused on salvaging historic documents damaged by two devastating courthouse fires in 1863 and 1926, as well as by years of deterioration in storage. Volunteers in the Genealogy Room carefully cleaned and dried fragile pages, many of which were mold-affected, to prepare them for microfiche archiving by the State of Tennessee. This painstaking process ensured that surviving county records were preserved, digitized, and made accessible for future generations, safeguarding an irreplaceable part of Perry County’s history.