Dandridge, Tennessee

Dandridge is a town in Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It had a population of 2,812 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. The town is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Dandridge bills itself as the "second oldest city in Tennessee" (behind only Jonesborough). A large part of Dandridge, including most of the historic commercial center, sits below the high level water mark of Douglas Lake, and is protected by a saddle dam.

History

In the 16th century, a substantial Native American chiefdom known as Chiaha was located on Zimmerman's Island, just southwest of Dandridge along the French Broad River. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto spent several weeks at Chiaha in 1540 and Juan Pardo built a small fort near chiefdom's main village in 1567. Both expeditions were in en route to the chiefdom of Coosa in what is now Georgia. Zimmerman's Island is now submerged by Douglas Lake.

The first Euro-American settlers arrived in Dandridge in 1783. In 1793, the town was officially named the county seat of Jefferson County, which had been created the previous year. The town was named for Martha Dandridge Washington, the wife of the first president of the United States.