Paraclifta

Paraclifta community was the first county seat of Sevier County in 1829; named for a Choctaw Indian chief because, as the story goes, he rescued a group of settlers who were being held prisoner by Indians who accused them of horse-stealing. Chief Paraclifta intervened, and the settlers agreed to pay for the horse, thus settling the matter. A term of court was held in Paraclifta in 1829, and a post office was established in 1830. Four newspapers were fostered there in the 1850s. The Paraclifta Seminary trained young women to become elegant Southern ladies. Historic Gilliam-Norwood house is the oldest house in Sevier County; only remaining structure still standing from the Paraclifta community