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Office: Stewart County Emergency Management Agency – Director Clint Mathis | 117 Donelson Parkway, Dover, TN 37058 | PO Box 487, Dover, TN 37058 | (931) 232-3014 | Fax: (931) 232-4859 | Hours: Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-3:30 PM (emergency response 24/7).
911: Stewart County Emergency Communications Center – 117 Donelson Pkwy, Dover, TN 37058
Fire: Stewart County Fire Rescue – Chief Ethan Luffman | PO Box 420, Dover, TN 37058 | Non-emergency: (931) 627-1679; an all-volunteer department formed in 1998 by the merger of North Stewart VFD and Bumpus Mills VFD, protecting 13,000 residents across 454 square miles; burn permits required October 15-May 15.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-79 and SH-49 serve Dover, the county seat, on the Cumberland River in northwest Middle Tennessee near the Kentucky border
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Stewart County includes a significant portion of Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, between the Kentucky and Tennessee Lakes.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Stewart County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via stewartcogov.com.
Notes: Stewart County is genuinely, historically significant as the site of Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Dover, TN – a 1,319-acre National Park Service site (established 1928/1933) preserving the location of the pivotal February 1862 Battle of Fort Donelson. Union Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant’s demand for “no terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender” from Confederate Brig. Gen. Simon B. Buckner earned Grant his famous nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant – arguably the war’s first such demand, and it launched Grant’s rise to eventual command of all Union armies and the presidency. The Union victory opened Tennessee’s capital, Nashville, to Union occupation for the rest of the war, a major early blow to the Confederacy. The historic Dover Hotel, where Buckner’s surrender was finalized, still stands in Dover and has been restored to its Civil War-era appearance. Stewart County was also historically home to 19th-century iron furnaces, including the Bear Spring Furnace and the Great Western Furnace (now within Land Between the Lakes).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Stewart County Veterans Service Office – Officer Tim Morgan | 117 Visitor Center Ln, Dover, TN 37058 | (931) 232-6550 | Fax: (931) 232-4811
State: Tennessee Department of Veterans Services – tn.gov/veteran
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Stewart County Public Library – Director Gracie Armstrong | 102 Natcor Drive, Dover, TN 37058 | (931) 232-3127 | Fax: (931) 232-3158
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fort Donelson National Battlefield (see above) and Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area are the county’s premier attractions, offering Civil War history, hiking, and extensive lake and outdoor recreation.
Notes: The genuine “Unconditional Surrender” Grant history is one of the most historically significant, checkable facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Stewart County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via stewartcogov.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
IMPORTANT: Sources conflict on this county’s animal services. A county-listed “Stewart County Animal Control” appears at 999 Antioch Road, Dover, TN 37058 | (931) 232-4810, but the Humane Society of Dover-Stewart County (a volunteer nonprofit established 1993, PO Box 2896, Clarksville, TN 37042) has publicly stated that Stewart County has no county-run animal shelter or animal control program, and that the county provides only a small ($4,000/year) grant covering roughly 7% of the Humane Society’s needs to handle an estimated 250+ unwanted, injured, or stray animals annually. The Humane Society operates a no-kill, foster-based model with no permanent physical shelter and has periodically closed to new intakes.
Additional nonprofit: Stewart County Faithful Friends Animal Rescue – 533 Hwy 79, Dover, TN.
IMPORTANT: Given the conflicting information, confirm current animal control arrangements directly with the county before relying on this section for a stray or lost pet situation.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Stewart County Solid Waste – confirm current contact via stewartcogov.com.
NOTES: Stewart County is the fourth county in this batch (Sevier, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sullivan, Sumner, Tipton) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine “Unconditional Surrender” Grant/Fort Donelson history is one of the most historically significant facts covered anywhere in this project; the animal services situation is honestly flagged as unclear given conflicting sources. 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 Stewart County County
Stewart County is northwest Tennessee’s Fort Donelson Civil War and Land Between the Lakes county – the battlefield where Grant earned his nickname and launched his rise to command and the vast national recreation area on the county’s western edge give this remote Cumberland River county a historical and natural significance far exceeding its modest population.
Dover (the county seat, population ~1,400) is Stewart County’s governmental hub on the Cumberland River, a small northwest Tennessee town whose Fort Donelson battlefield and Kentucky Lake proximity anchor its identity.
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Stewart County Assessor of Property at 225 Donelson Parkway, Dover, TN 37058, phone 931-232-5369. TN assessed at a percentage of appraised value.
Courts & Legal
Stewart County Circuit Court at 225 Donelson Parkway, Dover, TN 37058, phone 931-232-5369, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
225 Donelson Pkwy, Dover, TN 37058
(931) 232-5152
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Stewart County Clerk and Master, Dover (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Fort Donelson National Cemetery, Dover, is a significant local landmark relevant to Civil War-era genealogical research.
Local societies
No dedicated Stewart 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, Stewart County 225 Donelson Parkway, Dover, TN 37058 (931) 232-5665
Stewart County was founded in 1803, named for Duncan Stewart, on the northwestern corner of Middle Tennessee, seated in Dover, on the Cumberland River. Fort Donelson National Cemetery is located in Dover.
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 Stewart 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 Stewart 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 Stewart 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
106 Spring St, Dover, TN 37058
(931) 232-5591
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
225 Donelson Pkwy, Dover, TN 37058
(931) 232-5352
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
105 Roy Elrod Dr, Dover, TN 37058
(931) 232-5651
DHS Office
105 Roy Elrod Dr, Dover, TN 37058
(931) 232-5342
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Stewart County Health Department – Director Karen Anderson | 1021 Spring Street, Dover, TN 37058 | (931) 232-5329
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Dover
Population: 13,500
Public Records
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