Bolivar’s post office opened in 1823, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns · #57 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Bolivar was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 69 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: the first Bolivar post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bolivar’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bolivar is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #57 of 177 in Tennessee. 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 Bolivar’s overall grade.
Tennessee towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Tennessee town has 6.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bolivar’s 136 sits above most of its state (92% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 70 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% 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 (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Bolivar’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 the National Register
5 listings protect 70 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Bolivar was named for South American revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar. The area is home to several historic properties and historic districts among the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hardeman County, Tennessee including Bolivar Court Square Historic District, Western State Hospital Historic District, North Main Street Historic District, and the Bills-McNeal Historic District.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Bolivar post office opened in 1823, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Bolivar rank for history?
Bolivar is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #57 of 177 in Tennessee. 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 Bolivar?
5 listings: 1 building and 4 historic districts with 69 contributing buildings. 70 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Bolivar?
0.6% of Bolivar’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (4), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, 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.
1933
1933
1933
