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History · Bulls Gap

Bulls Gap dates to 1792, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 23 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1880 on.

1792founded
1on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bulls Gap’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bulls Gap began

When was Bulls Gap founded?

1792

Bulls Gap dates its founding to 1792 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1857.

2020 census: 756234 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bulls Gap’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Moore Family Farm takes in 23 historic buildings.Deep rootsEstablished in 1792: 234 years of Bulls Gap.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bulls Gap’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

1 listing protects 23 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
23
each building in a district counts
first listed
2006
Moore Family Farm
Moore Family Farm
Districts
All 1 listings
Moore Family FarmDistrict · listed 2006

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

Timeline

Bulls Gap, 1792 to 1914

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1792
    FoundingBulls Gap is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1857Post officeThe Bull's Gap post office opens
  5. 1861Post officeThe Rogersville Junction post office opens
  6. 1865Post officeThe Rogersville Junction post office closes
  7. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Hawkins County - Bulls Gap - ED 37-20
  8. 20th century
  9. 1914Born hereArchie Campbell is born here
The story

How Bulls Gap came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bulls Gap.

Read it all →

In November 1864, a small Civil War battle was fought here. The Battle of Bull's Gap was a Confederate victory, with John C. Breckinridge the victorious general.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Bulls Gap, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s2 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Hawkins County - Bulls Gap - ED 37-2018801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - H…Bulls Gap circa 18821882Bulls Gap circa 1882
1890s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Bulls-Gap-Baptist-Church2015Bulls-Gap-Baptist-ChurchBulls-Gap-125 Church St2015Bulls-Gap-125 Church StBulls-Gap-105-Church-St2015Bulls-Gap-105-Church-StBullsGapTNMainStreet2008BullsGapTNMainStreet
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Hawkins County - Bulls Gap - ED 37-20
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Hawkins County - Bulls Gap - ED 37-20, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Bulls Gap’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Another post office, Rogersville Junction, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bull's Gap
1857–today
Rogersville Junction
1861–1865
18501940today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Bulls Gap
GuthrieMcCullough

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

Questions about Bulls Gap’s history

What year was Bulls Gap founded?

In 1792, according to Wikidata. Bulls Gap’s post office opened in 1857.

What is on the National Register in Bulls Gap?

One place: the Moore Family Farm (listed 2006).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.