In November 1821, the Tennessee General Assembly passed acts directing appointed commissioners to locate the county seat of the 1819-confirmed county of Perry. The appointees selected the community of Midtown to be laid off as a town called and known by the name of Perryville, reserving two acre for the public square. The square included a courthouse, prison, and stocks. Perryville remained the Perry County seat until 1845 when it became a part of Decatur County.