Lauderdale County, established in 1835, is bordered by Tipton, Dyer, Crockett, and Haywood Counties. The waters of the Hatchie, Mississippi, and Forked Deer Rivers wash its shores. Ripley is the county seat, with Halls, Gates, and Henning being the county's other population centers. Numerous once-thriving communities dot the county. Its fertile soil made farming the principal occupation until the 1950s, when light industry arrived. Farming persists...