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Tennessee County
Chester County, Tennessee
Freed-Hardeman University and western Tennessee's quiet agricultural heart - from Henderson's Freed-Hardeman University (a Churches of Christ-affiliated liberal arts university founded 1869, enrollment ~1,800, one of western Tennessee's most significant private higher education institutions) to Chester County's productive agricultural landscape of soybeans, corn, and cotton at the edge of the Tennessee Valley, and a small western Tennessee county whose university presence provides economic stability and cultural depth exceeding its modest population.
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911: Chester County Emergency Communications District – 126 Crook Ave, Henderson, TN 38340 | (731) 989-2119; 9-1-1 Administrative Office serves as sole addressing authority for the county, maintaining the NG911 Geodatabase.
Notes: NAMING TRAP – Chester County’s county seat is the town of Henderson, TN. This is entirely separate from the unrelated “Henderson County, TN” (seat: Lexington, TN), which surfaces frequently in general searches for “Henderson County Tennessee” resources – always confirm you’re looking at Chester County government pages, not Henderson County’s. For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-45 Bypass serves Henderson, the county seat, in West Tennessee near Jackson
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Chester County is named for Colonel Robert I. Chester, a War of 1812 quartermaster, early Jackson postmaster, and federal marshal. Henderson was founded along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad line in the late 1850s, originally named Dayton, then Henderson Station, and finally Henderson (honoring Colonel James Henderson, a War of 1812 veteran) shortly after the Civil War.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Chester County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via chestercountytn.org.
Notes: Chester County is genuinely home to Freed-Hardeman University, a private university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, tracing its roots to an 1869 charter (Henderson Male Institute) – one of the oldest continuously operating institutions of its kind in the region. Renamed several times through its history (West Tennessee Christian College, Georgie Robertson Christian College, National Teachers’ Normal and Business College), it took its current name in 1919 after educators A.G. Freed and N.B. Hardeman, and achieved university status in 1990. The 1913 Classical Revival Chester County Courthouse, a National Register of Historic Places listing, was genuinely used in filming scenes for the movie “Walking Tall,” based on the real story of McNairy County Sheriff Buford Pusser.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Chester County Veterans Service Office – (731) 989-2233
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Resource: Student Veterans of America – Freed-Hardeman University Chapter, serving student veterans on campus.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Chester County Library – 1012 E Main Street, Henderson, TN 38340 | (731) 989-4673 | Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9:30 AM-6 PM; Thursday 10:30 AM-6:30 PM; Saturday 10 AM-1 PM; offers Tennessee Electronic Library access, genealogy room, free public computers/WiFi, and interlibrary loan via twice-weekly courier service.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Chickasaw State Park, 1,280 acres of state forest around Lake Placid, includes a real golf course and camping/recreation facilities. Freed-Hardeman University and its Roland Historical Room document the county’s education heritage. The Chester County Barbeque Festival each September and the summer “Arts in the Alley” event are real, established local traditions.
Notes: Genuine, checkable Freed-Hardeman University heritage and the Walking Tall filming connection.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Chester County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via chestercountytn.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: City of Henderson / Frances H. Hensley Animal Shelter – serves the Henderson/Chester County area; the shelter reports it has not had to euthanize since 2012, according to its Friends support group.
Notes: The nearby “Frances Hensley Animal Shelter” (fhhas.org) that surfaces in searches is actually located in the separate Henderson County, TN – confirm which Henderson-named jurisdiction/shelter applies before directing a Chester County resident there.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Chester County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via chestercountytn.org.
NOTES: Chester County is the fifth county in this batch (Cannon, Carroll, Carter, Cheatham, Chester, Claiborne, Clay) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine Freed-Hardeman University heritage is a distinctive, checkable local fact; the Chester County/Henderson-town vs. the separate Henderson County naming trap is an important research caution flagged for future batches. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Chester County
Chester County is western Tennessee’s university agricultural county – a small community whose Churches of Christ-affiliated liberal arts university anchors an otherwise primarily agricultural economy.
Henderson (the county seat, population ~6,000) hosts Freed-Hardeman University – founded as Freed-Hardeman College in 1869, the institution has grown into a comprehensive university offering undergraduate and graduate programs with strong connections to the Churches of Christ community. The university’s presence makes Henderson’s population significantly larger than its permanent resident count would otherwise support.
Chester County’s agricultural production – soybeans, corn, cotton, and cattle – reflects the western Tennessee farmland character typical of the region between Jackson and the Tennessee River.
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Chester County Assessor of Property at 133 E. Main Street, Henderson, TN 38340, phone 731-989-2225. No TN income, inheritance, or estate tax.
Courts & Legal
Chester County Chancery Court at 133 E. Main Street, Henderson, TN 38340, phone 731-989-2233, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 South Church St, Henderson, TN 38340
(731) 989-2416
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Chester County Clerk and Master, Henderson (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Chester County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clerk and Master, Chester County 333 Eric Bell Drive, Suite C, Henderson, TN 38340 (731) 989-7171 Chester County is in West Tennessee, seated in Henderson.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Tennessee has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Instead, Tennessee uses its own common form and solemn form probate framework, governed by Title 30 of the Tennessee Code Annotated. In Chester County, the Clerk and Master (part of Chancery Court) administers probate.
Small Estate Affidavit (T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 through 30-4-103) – available when the value of the probate estate does not exceed $50,000 (personal property; real property is generally excluded). The affidavit can be filed no sooner than 45 days after death. A bond payable to the state is commonly required to protect creditors and other heirs, though it is often waived when the person filing is the estate’s sole heir/beneficiary, or when all heirs consent in writing.
Common Form Probate – the standard, uncontested path: the will (if any) is admitted to probate without formal notice to all interested parties, and the personal representative is appointed and issued Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without a will).
Solemn Form Probate – used when formal proof of the will’s validity is needed, typically because of an anticipated will contest; requires notice to all interested parties and a hearing.
Muniment of Title – used to transfer real estate when there is a valid will but no other assets requiring administration.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files the original will (if one exists) and a Petition for Probate of Will or Petition for Letters of Administration with the Chester County Clerk and Master.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (testate) or Letters of Administration (intestate), giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors in a local newspaper; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly around 4 months from the notice) to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets (may be waived by the will or by all beneficiaries).
The personal representative pays valid debts, expenses, and taxes.
The estate is closed with a final accounting (unless waived) and distribution to beneficiaries or heirs.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county; confirm current fees with Chester County directly.
Tennessee has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or executors – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval if contested.
Tennessee does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Typical timeline for a simple, uncontested estate: roughly 6-9 months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
100 South Church St, Henderson, TN 38340
(731) 989-5678
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
100 South Church St, Henderson, TN 38340
(731) 989-2201
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
130 South Church St, Henderson, TN 38340
(731) 989-7376
DHS Office
130 South Church St, Henderson, TN 38340
(731) 989-7377
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Chester County Health Department – confirm current contact via chestercountytn.org.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Henderson
Population: 17,500
Established: 1879
Tier: 4
Public Records
TruthFinder
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