In November 1821 the Tennessee General Assembly passed acts directing appointed commissioners to locate an area to be the county seat of Perry County, which had been confirmed in 1819. The community of Midtown was selected to be laid off as a town called Perryville, with two acres reserved as the public square. The square was to include a courthouse, prison, and stocks. Perryville remained the Perry County seat until 1845, when it became part of Decatur County.