Ooltewah
Ooltewah, former county seat of James County (no longer extant) is a census‑deisgnated place (CDP) in Hamilton County, east of Chattanooga.
Neighborhoods
- Adams Addition
- Asher Village
- Barretts Pointe
- Baycrest
- Belleau Ridge
- Boulder Ridge
- Chestnut Cove
- Clara Chase Estates
- Country Village
- Crooked Creek
- Deer Ridge
- Deer Ridge Estates
- Downing Green
- Elder Acres
- Fair Oaks
- Falcon Crest
- Fox Trails
- Frontgate
- Frost Creek Farms
- Gemstone Park
- Georgetown Bay
- Georgetown Landing
- Georgetown Place
- Granada Estates
- Greenbriar Cove
- Haileys Pond
- Hamilton On Hunter
- Hamilton On Hunter North
- Hampstead Hall
- Hampton Cove
- Hampton Creek
- Hampton on the Lake
- Heron Bay
- Hiawatha Estates
- Hidden Lakes
- Homewood
- Horizons
- Hunter Acres
- Hunter Glen
- Hunter Village
- Hunter Woods
- Kings Valley
- Legacy Oaks
- Magnolia Creek
- Maplewood Heights
- Marlin Estates
- McKenzie Farm
- Meadow Stream
- Mill Run
- Misty Valley
- Mont Wynfield
- Morgan Estates
- Mountain Crest
- Mountain Lake Estates
- Mountain Oaks
- Mulberry Park
- North Heron Bay
- Padgets Addition
- Patten Manor
- Providence Point
- Robinson Farm Estates
- Rolling Green
- Rose Glen
- Royal Harbour
- Royal Harbour Estates
- Runyan Hills
- Savannah Hills
- Seven Lakes
- Snow Ridge Trace
- Somerset Estates
- Sterling Pointe
- Stillwater
- Stillwater Park
- Stonebrook
- Stonecroft
- Stonesthrow
- Stratford Place
- Sunrise Meadows
- Sunset Ridge
- Sweetbriar
- The Retreats at White Oak
- Thornberry Hill
- Thunder Farms
- Timber Trace
- Toad Estates
- Villages of Savannah Bay
- Walnut Run
- Wellesley
- Whisper Creek
- Windstone
- Windstone Overlook
The Tennessee General Assembly organized James County [1] from fractions of neighboring Hamilton and Bradley counties on January 30, 1871. The new county was named in honor of Rev. Jesse J. James, the father of Representative Elbert James who introduced the act which created the county. A dispute quickly developed over the location of the county seat? Ooltewah, a railroad town, was chosen on April 27, 1871 over Harrison, a port on the Tennessee River.
In 1890, the general assembly attempted to abolish the county, but local officials opposed the action and appealed to the state supreme court. The high court declared the act unconstitutional. By 1919, because tax revenues were so low, the county had become bankrupt. Schools, roads, and public services were inadequate. The state legislature voted in April 1919 to abolish James County, and in a referendum held on December 11, 1919, citizens of the county voted 941 to 79 for annexation to Hamilton County.
James County has the distinction of being the only Tennessee county, which, after being erected and organized in accordance with the requirements of the state constitution, was abolished. Two other attempts by the general assembly to eliminate other counties, namely Lewis and Putnam, were unsuccessful.
- Robert E. Dalton, Director of Field Services, Tennessee Historical Commission, James County Courthouse, Ooltewah, Hamilton County, TN, nomination document, 1976, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.