We study here a number of questions raised by examining the fundamental groups of complicated one-dimensional spaces. For example, we prove that the fundamental group of a separable, connected, locally path connected, one dimensional metric space is free if and only if it is countable if and only if the space has a universal cover. The main tools which we use are an Artinian property and the theory of nerves of covers. The study of the relationships between fundamental groups and nerves is particularly relevant to the study of one-dimensional spaces