Tryon County is a former county located in the state of North Carolina. It was formed in 1768 from the part of Mecklenburg County west of the Catawba River, though the legislative act that created it did not become effective until April 10, 1769. It was named for William Tryon, Governor of North Carolina from 1765 to 1771. In 1779 Tryon County was divided into Lincoln County and Rutherford County, and ceased to exist. Tryon County played an important early role in the American Revolution. Residents of the county actively organized into committees of safety and later a county militia to prepare against the British following the Battle of Lexington in Massachusetts. On August 14, 1775 49 Tryon residents gathered at the county courthouse and issued a declaration of grievances against the British known as the Tryon Resolves. They were among the earliest colonists to do so.
