D riving north on state Route 56 as you enter Jackson County, Tennessee, the road winds through lush, green hills, past a few homes, an abandoned auto shop, and the Country Cabin Quik Market before reaching a large billboard. Pull forward into the parking lot of Fatboy’s Barbie-Q, where sweet, vinegary clouds puff from a large smoker, and you can read one side of the sign:

“God bless Jackson County! We’re proud to call it home!”

The words “land,” “liberty,” and “legacy” frame a deer-head logo above a company name: RidgeRunner.

On the other side, there’s a different message: “Small town — big heart. Here, nasty notions play no part. Bide a spell in Gainesboro. Where all are welcome!”

If you don’t live in Jackson County, you might not recognize the contentious subtext between the two

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