Tipton County attracted settlers who established cotton plantations on its fertile soils. As a result, this area was part of the cotton culture which associated with the Mississippi Delta. Consequently, the population grew quickly, and a county was established from parts of Shelby County. By act of the General Assembly, on October 29, 1823, Tipton County was born. The former Chickasaw Indian Territory was named for Jacob Tipton. Later, Tipton was killed by Indians in 1791 in a conflict over the Northwest Territory.
Moving Forward
Steamboat commerce thrived in Tipton County. In 1830, one of the earliest settlements in Tipton County, Randolph, was the most important shipping point in Tennessee. However, riverboat shipping yielded to the railroad causing a decline in steamboat commerce. The first railroad in Tipton County was established in December 1885, Memphis and Ohio Railroad completed the route from Memphis to Nashville with a train station in what is now Mason, TN.
The Chickasaw Bluffs of the Mississippi River were a key location for protecting the settlements. Accordingly, the northern portion of Tipton County is home to two civil war forts, Fort Randolph and Fort Wright.
