The County of Perry was organized after being created by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly of the State in Nov. 1819.  Linden, the county seat, located on the west bank of the Buffalo River, three miles southeast of the geographical center of the county and ten miles east of Perryville. At this point, the county included land now known to be Decatur County, but when the county seat was moved to Linden in 1848, Decatur County was created west of the Tennessee River.

Linden was incorporated in 1848, and the charter repealed in 1883. For some years prior to that date, Linden was infested with saloons, and intemperance prevailed to an alarming extent. In order to clean the town up, the better class of citizens petitioned the Legislature to abolish the charter. This was done and the saloons had to close up in obedience to the "four mile law" which prohibited the sale of intoxicating liquors within four miles of any country school, virtually banning the liquor business in rural Tennessee.

The saloons are gone now, the city charter is in good standing, and our mayors, the County mayor and both city mayors, enjoy a great relationship of making sure our County continues to grow and maintain a good image within the State of Tennessee. We are no longer the drunken, lawless community of days of yore.

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