The Biggs Machine: Old Time Politics in Polk County, Tennessee

I was raised in Polk County and knew about some of the murders but didn’t know the details. I learned so much from this book. I still live in this area and know I cannot discuss this book with some people. Politics is still a big thing around here. People still remember things like it happened yesterday. Anyway, I could not hardly put this book down. It was so good. I finished it in two days.

Tyler Boyd deserves great praise for researching and brining this story to print. It would make a great movie!

This is one of the best accounts of the political turmoil of that era from the point of view of those who experienced it. Well written and full of local history and personal accounts.

My father was named after Burch Biggs and my grandfather worked for the road department- When I started reading the book I couldn’t put it down ! Many of my relatives and friends we’ll up into their 80’s and 90’s still find the subject Sheriff Biggs difficult to talk about -but Since this book was written, many of my family members and friends read the book and are opening up to discuss this dark time in the county’s history - I commend Tyler for his research and reporting the facts -This is a must read book and since it’s publication and more discussions about it there needs to be a sequel!!!

Although I was not born in Polk, I have lived here for more than 50 years & have always considered it home. But I have often wondered how such a peaceful and beautiful place has such a poor reputation-Tyler Boyd has expertly researched and written of a dark time in this county’s past that enlightens like none other. This is a story that must be told in order for the present to learn from the past and make the future better. Kudos Mr Boyd! I look forward to volume 2.

Tyler Boyd's work is manifestly a yeoman's work, an exhaustively researched work on the Burch Biggs political machine in Polk County, in extreme southeastern Tennessee.Boyd chronicles the life, deeds and misdeeds of long-time sheriff and political boss Burch Biggs. Biggs and his henchmen including his two sons ran Polk County for decades, wielding enormous power against opponents, engaging in graft and "fee grabbing," intimidated anyone seeking to stop them up to and including assassination. The Biggs Machine ensured Democratic domination over the county's hard-pressed Republican minority. Only after World War Two did enough of an organized reform movement succcessfully challenge the Biggs Machine and take it down.Boyd's thorough documentation is an exemplar of historical research. has poured many hours into research for this work, delving into offical and private records that illuminates not just Biggs's history, but that of Polk County and surrounding areas in East Tennessee. Boyd comes to this subject with much knowledge as a nearby local, and he knows the cast of characters and rogues to a great degree.Whether you're from Tennessee or not, this book is a gripping story on its own terms. The story really gets rolling in the second half, as World War Two ends, and returning veterans in Polk and nearby McMinn County begin to organize and rally against this local "dictator." Those familiar with Tennessee history are aware of the 1946 "Battle of Athens" in McMinn, when one veteran's group took up arms against their corrupt sheriff and his machine. Boyd deftly dissects what happened in Polk County in that year and in the next election year of 1948, in Polk County. In so many ways, Polk County and the Biggs machine is just as dramatic as the one in McMinn County. This is a worthy story, worthily told.

A very well-written and comprehensive telling of Pulk County at a time when Tenessee was stepping out of one era into another.

I grew up on neighboring Fannin County,GA. hearing all the stories about the corruptness in Polk County. This is a great book to seperate the fact and fiction. And to some degree there is still some of this going on. I would recommend this book for those who like to know the history of this area.