In 1958, a group interested in local history met in Murray, Kentucky and formed the Jackson Purchase Historical Society. The focus was on the development of Kentucky and Tennessee west of the Tennessee River.

Initially, faculty from Murray State University took leadership roles in the organization. Drs. Frank Steeley, Hunter Hancock, Ray Mofield, and Glenn C. Wilcox and his wife Helen, William Wilson and Margaret Heath proved to be the core of the organization. As time passed, the organization began to shift its focus. West Kentucky Community and Technical College and the University of Tennessee at Martin stepped forward to continue the mission of the group. Today, the membership is comprised of all sorts of individuals from teachers to professors to retirees to all those who simply have a love of history and a love of the Jackson Purchase area.

The Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal which first appeared in 1973 under the leadership of its founder, Dr. Glenn Wilcox, has continued to thrive because of the dedication of the editors who have followed him. We owe much to his leadership and vision and the technical editor, Helen Wilcox.

The purpose of this site is to continue the tradition of furthering the publication of our area's history and broadening our readership to those around us.