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History · Rienzi

Rienzi dates to 1830, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1900.

1830founded
3on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Rienzi began

When was Rienzi founded?

1830

Rienzi dates its founding to 1830 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 230 in 19002020 census: 281196 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1839.The full story ↓

What stands out about Rienzi’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rienzi are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 500 in 1930; 281 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1830: 196 years of Rienzi.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rienzi’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rienzi’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Rienzi, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 500

Peaked at 500 in 1930; 281 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Rienzi’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Rienzi, 1830 to 1950

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830
    FoundingRienzi is established
  3. 1839Post officeThe Rienzi post office opens
  4. 1877BuiltDr. Joseph M. Bynum House is built
  5. 20th century
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 500
  7. 1932Born hereLee Denson is born here
  8. 1935Born hereBill Michael is born here
  9. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Rienzi came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rienzi.

Read it all →

Rienzi was named for Cola di Rienzo, a medieval Italian politician. The original town was settled in 1830 and was located one mile west of its current location, near the Nesly Williams Plantation.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Rienzi, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Rienzi-Main-Front-NE-ms2017Rienzi-Main-Front-NE-msRienzi-Main-356-ms2017Rienzi-Main-356-msRienzi-Front-Street-ms2017Rienzi-Front-Street-msRienzi-Church-of-Christ-ms2017Rienzi-Church-of-Christ-msMSMap-doton-Rienzi2007MSMap-doton-Rienzi
On the map

Rienzi on the map, 1950 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rienzi. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Rienzi on the 1950 USGS mapRienzi on the 1982 USGS map1950Corinth sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rienzi.

On the National Register

3 historic places in Rienzi

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
7
each building in a district counts
first listed
1996
Rienzi Commercial Historic District
Dr. Joseph M. Bynum House, built 1877Rienzi Commercial Historic DistrictUnion Earthworks
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival1
Early 20th Century Commercial Vernacular1
Dr. Joseph M. Bynum HouseGothic Revival · Built 1877
All 3 listings
Rienzi Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1996Union EarthworksStructure · listed 1997

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Rienzi

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
L
Lee DensonAmerican musician · b. 1932
B
Bill MichaelAmerican football player and coach · b. 1935
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Rienzi’s post office has been open since 1839.

Gone or out of use
Rienzi High SchoolschoolRienzi Public Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Rienzi’s history

What year was Rienzi founded?

In 1830, according to Wikidata. Rienzi’s post office opened in 1839, and the census of 1900 counted 230 people here.

What is on the National Register in Rienzi?

Three places: the Dr. Joseph M. Bynum House (listed 1997), the Rienzi Commercial Historic District (1996) and the Union Earthworks (1997).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.