Dekalb County
By last census count, more than 18,000 reside in DeKalb County, its principal towns of Smithville,
Alexandria, Liberty and Dowelltown, and rural communities like Temperance Hall, Keltonburg, Belk,
Snows Hill, Blue Springs and Cherry Valley. Residents take great pride in the scenic beauty found
in every corner of the county, and especially Center Hill Lake, a recreational resource for all
who cherish the great outdoors.
Situated approximately 60 miles southeast of Nashville and easily accessible from Lebanon by
Interstate 40 or U.S. Highway 70, the county is also traversed by several north-south roadways:
State Route 96 which provides a direct link to Murfreesboro; State Highway 53 which links the
county with I-40 to the north through Alexandria or to Woodbury in Cannon County to the South;
and State Route 56, a direct road to McMinnville in Warren County and also linking Smithville to
Silver Point and I-40.
The county is named for Baron Johann DeKalb, a Bavarian general who provided critical support to
the patriots in the American Revolution. Some tracts of land in the area were originally granted
as pensions to veterans of that war. Allegiances tilted both North and South during the War
Between the States and residents endured periods of occupation by soldiers or sympathizers to both
armies over the course of the Civil War. The major engagement here, The Battle of Snows Hill,
involved as many 4000 soldiers. It is commemorated with a historical marker along Highway 70
just east of Dowelltown, near the base of Snows Hill.
Family farms were a fixture of the area along the Caney Fork River until the construction of Center
Hill Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create Center Hill Lake. Subsequent generations
have gradually moved off the farms, allowing many acres which were farmed a few decades ago to be
reclaimed as forest or divided into smaller tracts for new homes. Today's residents are as likely
to be employed at one of the businesses, factories or stores which fuel the local economy as they
are to commute to larger cities within driving distance including Cookeville, Lebanon, Murfreesboro,
McMinnville and Nashville.
Homeowners enjoy some of the lowest property taxes in the state and pay no state income tax. Their
health care needs are met by the modern facilities of the highly-rated DeKalb Community Hospital,
as well as exemplary retirement facilities at NHC's Smithville nursing care facility and the Webb
House retirement home. Two local newspapers, the weeklies Smithville Review and Middle Tennessee
Times, as well as local radio station WJLE keep citizens informed and entertained. The county
boasts a full roster of churches of many denominations as well as community and civic organizations
dedicated to the distinct needs of area children, adults and seniors.
If all of this describes the kind of place you'd like to call home, give us a call at Center Hill
Realty today!
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