Fresh Donuts

The City of Columbia is the county seat for Maury County, Tennessee nestled along the banks of the Duck River. Maury County was first opened to settlement after the Federal government signed a treaty with the Cherokee Indians in 1805. Almost immediately the area was inhabited by hundreds of pioneers, most of them having waited for years to enter the rich lands through which Duck River meandered on its east to west course. Within a year after the territory was opened up, hundreds of log cabins were constructed throughout the area. At first, the new lands were a part of Williamson County but, so rapid was the increase in population, that by November, 1807 the General Assembly voted to create a new county. It was named Maury County after Abram Maury, a prominent surveyor/politician of the region.1 The same act that established Maury County designated Joshua Williams, William Frierson, Isaac Roberts, John Lindsey, and Joseph Brown to select the location for the county seat near the center of the County, to be known by the name of Columbia.2 The committee purchased 150 acres of land and set about subdividing it into lots with streets 100 feet wide. The City of Columbia was chartered in November 1807. Columbia was incorporated on November 17, 1817 by the General Assembly. The town continued to grow and by 1836, Columbia was a very thrifty town with a population of 1,500, next in size in this section to Nashville with its 7,000 population.3 And Columbia would only continue to grow in size and prominence. In the years prior to the Civil War, Columbia could boast many businesses and hotels. There were also several churches and institutions of higher learning, including Jackson College for the males and the Columbia Institute and the Columbia Athenaeum for young ladies. Columbia was called by some the Athens of the West. Thanks to agriculture, there was money in Maury County and Columbia, being the county seat, reflected that wealth with brick mansions and plantations. The Ci