The Treaty of Doak's Stand, 1820, opened this land to white settlement. Land was quickly claimed and pioneer families established themselves in this wilderness. William Dean and his wife, Margaret, settled near here on the Old Natchez Trace in 1823. The Deans supplemented their farm income by offering lodging to travelers. The clientele was a cross section of the advancing frontier - the homeward bound boatmen, the hurrying mail rider, the trader in land and horses, the fugitive, or the itinerant preacher. On the night of May 12, 1863, General U.S. Grant made his headquarters here after the battle of Raymond.
Dean Stand Photo Gallery
