Senatobia’s post office opened in 1838, and 10 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #30 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it
Most of Senatobia was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. 10 places in town are on the National Register, among them eight historic districts with 202 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1886 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Senatobia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1860.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Senatobia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Senatobia is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #30 of 100 in Mississippi. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Senatobia’s overall grade.
Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Senatobia’s 246 sits above most of its state (79% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 206 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1860.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Senatobia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Senatobia, building by building, 1886–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On April 13, 1834, early settler James Peters purchased two sections of land from the Chickasaw Nation for the price of $1.25 per acre. This land was later developed as the town of Senatobia. The community took its name from Senatobia Creek.
The Downtown Senatobia Historic District, the core of Senatobia's central business district, developed in 1856 after the opening of the Tennessee and Mississippi Railroad. Two nearby settlements, Tatumsville and Tatesville, were both abandoned, with those populations moving to Senatobia in favor of easier transportation.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Senatobia’s history
What year was Senatobia founded?
The Senatobia post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1860.
How does Senatobia rank for history?
Senatobia is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #30 of 100 in Mississippi. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Senatobia?
10 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Tate County Courthouse (listed 1994, the first), and 8 historic districts with 202 contributing buildings. 206 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Senatobia?
3% of Senatobia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1985.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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