Above is an early picture of downtown McKenzie.
The area of McKenzie was originally inhabited by Chickasaw Indians. In 1865, the land was surveyed and platted on land that belonged to James Monroe McKenzie. The town of McKenzie was incorporated in 1869 and was known as McKenzie Station, as it was established at the intersection of two railroads: the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad and the Louisville and Memphis Railroad.
Above, James Monroe McKenzie.
It was in 1818 that Andrew Jackson and Isaac Shelby had negotiated a purchase of land from the Chickasaw Indian Nation. The land purchased was in Western Kentucky and Tennessee. The Tennessee portion became West Tennessee. This purchase promoted American settlements and expansion.
Carroll County was established in 1821. James Monroe McKenzie bought his 212 acres of land in 1837. McKenzie was incorporated in 1869. In 1887, Grover Cleveland visited the area while campaigning. Local lore is that he almost stayed overnight in the McKenzie Hotel, pictured below.
Many famous people have stopped in McKenzie, one of the most noteworthy was Elvis Presley. Elvis had stopped to eat at a local diner. Carl Perkins, another famous musician, also visited McKenzie.
McKenzie has produced many creative and hardworking people. Two will be mentioned here: Tom Winsett, who was a baseball player and was pictured on Life Magazine in 1938; Harris T. Collier, who was a head coach at Tulane in 1899 and he was a head coach for Georgia Tech in 1900.
Annie Cole Hawkins, who lived in McKenzie during the Civil War, chronicled the everyday events in War Leaflets, which can be found on the internet.
Mr. Jack Holland did present the history of McKenzie to the Huntingdon TN Historical Society on July 16, 2025. A video of this presentation can be found at the Facebook page of the Huntingdon TN Historical Society.
https://www.facebook.com/61550545093433/videos/753880610481685
The History of Carroll County, Tennessee 