Dresden serves as the county seat of Weakley County, and is located in the northwest corner of the State. Dresden is 121 miles northeast of Memphis, 65 miles east of the Mississippi River and 130 miles west of Nashville. The community is located about midway between Chicago and New Orleans.

Dresden was incorporated in 1825. Weakley County was established October 21, 1823, from lands ceded by the Chickasaw Indians, and was named for Colonel Robert Weakley, who was speaker of the State Senate. Dresden was named for the birthplace of Means Warner’s father, which was Dresden, Germany. Mr. Warner was one of the first settlers in this area. The courthouse, built in 1854, was destroyed by fire in 1947.
The present courthouse was created in 1949 at a cost of three-quarters of a million dollars. The first major industries to locate in Dresden were Bay Bee Shoe Company in 1948 and the Dresden Manufacturing Company in 1949.
The land is rolling, with an average elevation above mean sea level of 417 feet. All industrial sites are suitable for immediate construction, as the terrain is generally level with good drainage.

Dresden is the home of Tennessee’s 46th Governor, Ned Ray McWherter, who held the office of the State’s top leader from January 17, 1987 to January 1995. Born in the nearby community of Palmersville, also located in Weakley County, Governor McWherter encouraged industrial growth in the State. Many of his goals centered on providing a good business climate, a cooperative working environment, and a modem transportation network for business and industry as well as for all Tennesseans.

The community seeks new industry, has a cooperative municipal government and citizenry, which maintains a sound business climate that is receptive to business. Additionally the community believes in and encourages the free enterprise system, has a realistic tax structure, and encourages good labor management relations.

Special Feature: A Look Back at Dresden, Tennessee