Barretville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Shelby County, Tennessee Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's List of counties in Tennessee, 95 counties, both in terms of p ...

, United States, close to the border of Tipton County, and near the community of Rosemark. It has an elevation of 354 feet. The community is locally known for its once large number of domesticated

peacocks Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are refe ...

, originally cared for by Sarah Louisa Barret.

Name

Barretville is named after the Barret family, one of the earliest families to reside in the area. A

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

veterans that was conducted in 1890 showed a man by the name of Joseph Barret living in the area, while the 1870 United States Census showed multiple individuals of the family living in the community. Unlike the later 1890 census, the individuals listed in the 1870 census were noted with the spelling as Barrett, with an additional "t". Squire's Rest

History

The town was founded by Anthony Barret (1827–1910) in 1852. Anthony's grandson Paul Weisinger Barret, Sr. (1899–1976) founded the Barretville Bank and Trust, which continues to be a focal point of the community today. Paul W. Barret Sr. founded the bank in 1920, at the age of only 21. Despite his young age, Barret successfully led the bank through the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, and later molded it into one of the largest and most successful rural banks in Tennessee. The bank had 10 branches in Shelby County alone, with affiliate banks in

Somerville Somerville may refer to: *Somerville College, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford Places *Somerville, Victoria, Australia * Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia * Somerville, New Zealand, a subur ...

, Rossville, and

Henderson, Tennessee Henderson is a city in and the county seat of Chester County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,309 at the 2010 census, up from 5,670 at the 2000 census. History Henderson was platted in 1857, when the railroad was extended to tha ...

. Paul Barret's home in Barretville is known as Squire's Rest, and is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

.Tennessee State Historical Marker: Paul W. Barret

1930 Bank Robbery

In 1930, there was an attempted robbery at the Barretville Bank and Trust. At the time, the bank and the J. H. Barret and Sons General Store were connected. When burglars attempted to crack the bank's safe using blowtorches, the General Store was accidentally ignited; the robbery was unsuccessful, and the store was rebuilt later that year.

Today

Today, the community consists of an antiques shop, a

Trustmark Bank Trustmark is a commercial bank and financial services company headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, with subsidiaries Trustmark National Bank, Trustmark Investment Advisors, and Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance. The bank's initial ...

, several barns, an attorney's office (located in the old Barretville Bank and Trust Building), and multiple residences. The community is adjacent to

Tennessee State Route 14 State Route 14 (SR 14) is a south–north route from the Mississippi border in Memphis, Tennessee to an intersection with State Route 54 in Tipton County. Route description Shelby County SR 14 begins concurrent to US 61 at the Mississip ...

Tipton-Rosemark Academy Tipton-Rosemark Academy (often abbreviated TRA) is a private Christian school in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. It is in the community of Rosemark, and near the border of Shelby and Tipton County. History Tipton-Rosemark Academy's i ...

's Paul Barret Jr. Sportsplex (constructed with money donated by the estate of Paul W. Barret Jr.) is just outside the community across Gragg Road.

Notable people

* Bobby Blue Bland, blues singer, helped create the soul-blues soundThe Big Book of Blues (Penguin Books), Robert Santelli (1993)

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Shelby County, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee