Hancock County, Tennessee
Created from Claiborne & Hawkins Counties in 1848, Hancock County is one of the least populated areas in the state of Tennessee. The Black presence there is almost completely unknown to most people familiar with the small mountain communities that dot the landscape.
Even here, there were & have always been Black & mixed families in Hancock County. Communities such as Martin's Creek, Sulphur Hollow, as well as a several small settlements on Newman's Ridge; one Black (Simpson school) & one Melungeon (Vardy).
Just like other places in the US South, enslaved labor played a part in the development of the County & it's economy.
Teacher, Agnes Herrell, Martins Creek, 1941
Teacher, T.R. Delaney & Students,
Martins Creek, 1939
USGS Topographic Map, 1950
Hancock County News, April 18, 1947
A significant amount of research is still needed in regards to the Black families that were much more present in Hancock County than presently. Black in Appalachia will continue to help identify Black historic sites, materials & talk with descendants of these now, mostly vacant communities.