Shelby County

Images of America: Tennessee

by Robert W. Dye

As agents for the State of Tennessee, Andrew Jackson and Isaac Shelby purchased land from the Chickasaw Nation in 1818 that eventually became West Tennessee. In 1819, with fewer than 400 inhabitants, Shelby County was formed and named for Isaac Shelby. From its early days as a valuable site on the Mississippi River for the French and Spanish, to the current world headquarters for FedEx, Shelby County has been a strategic location for commerce, whether in cotton, music, or overnight packages. The county's diverse, and sometimes tragic, history includes Clarence Saunders's creation of the first self-service grocery store, Beale Street, Elvis Presley, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the first Holiday Inn, and Stax and Sun recording studios. Images of America: Shelby County also looks at the municipalities that make up the largest county in Tennessee. Cities such as Bartlett, Collierville, and Germantown began in the mid-1800s as small farming communities and today have the highest growth rate in the state.

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2005

About the author

Author Robert W. Dye has followed in the footsteps of turn-of-the-century photographers to document the landmarks and streetscapes of today. Dye is a fourth-generation Memphian who has worked over the years to document and archive the history of Memphis and the surrounding communities.