Robert Thomas Scott

Planter, tavern operator, newspaper editor, legislator, and land developer, he sought in vain to have the Jackson County seat moved from Bellefont to the settlement that bore his name. After his death in 1863, his widow reached an agreement in 1868 with the county government whereby the site for the courthouse and jail was deeded to Jackson County on condition that Scottsboro become the county seat.<br><br> Incorporated by the state legislature on January 20, 1870, the town became an important commercial center and shipping point on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.