Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Byrdstown

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Byrdstown

Byrdstown dates to 1879, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Byrdstown was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Its Register listing is the Pickett County Courthouse. Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 1920.

1879founded
1on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Byrdstown began

When was Byrdstown founded?

1879

Byrdstown dates its founding to 1879 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 125 in 19202020 census: 798147 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓

What stands out about Byrdstown’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 Byrdstown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Byrdstown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Byrdstown’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
The story

How Byrdstown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Byrdstown.

Read it all →

Byrdstown was established in 1879 as a county seat for the newly formed Pickett County. The town, where several families already lived, was named for Colonel Robert K. Byrd, a state senator whose district included the new county. Byrdstown was officially incorporated in 1917.

Former Secretary of State Cordell Hull (1871–1955)— who played a pivotal role in the creation of the United Nations— was born just west of Byrdstown. The Pickett County Courthouse, built in 1935, and the Cordell Hull Birthplace are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other historical sites include the Amonett House at the junction of TN-325 and TN-111.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Byrdstown, 1879 to 1991

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879
    FoundingByrdstown is established
  3. 1882Post officeThe Byrdstown post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1935BuiltPickett County Courthouse is built
  6. 1962On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1991Born hereSierra Hull is born here
By decade

Byrdstown, decade by decade

Today14 recent
Byrdstown-overview-tn22016Byrdstown-overview-tn2Byrdstown-overview-tn12016Byrdstown-overview-tn1Byrdstown-courthouse-square-north-tn12016Byrdstown-courthouse-square-north-tn1Byrdstown-West-Main-tn12016Byrdstown-West-Main-tn1Byrdstown-Town-Hall-tn12016Byrdstown-Town-Hall-tn1Byrdstown-South-Main-tn22016Byrdstown-South-Main-tn2Byrdstown-South-Main-tn12016Byrdstown-South-Main-tn1Byrdstown-Noah-tn12016Byrdstown-Noah-tn1Byrdstown-Hwy-325-tn12016Byrdstown-Hwy-325-tn1Byrdstown-Crouchs-Hardware-tn12016Byrdstown-Crouchs-Hardware-tn1Byrdstown-Community-Center-tn12016Byrdstown-Community-Center-tn1Pickett-county-courthouse-tn12009Pickett-county-courthouse-tn1Byrdstown-tennessee-entrance2007Byrdstown-tennessee-entranceAmonett-house-tennessee12007Amonett-house-tennessee1
On the map

Byrdstown on the map, 1962 to 1985

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

Byrdstown on the 1962 USGS mapByrdstown on the 1985 USGS map1962Byrdstown sheet · 1:24,000

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in Byrdstown

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1995
Pickett County Courthouse
Pickett County Courthouse, built 1935
Buildings
Pickett County CourthouseBuilt 1935

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

People over time

Byrdstown, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 998

Between 125 and 998 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Questions about Byrdstown’s history

What year was Byrdstown founded?

In 1879, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Byrdstown’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1920 counted 125 people here.

What is on the National Register in Byrdstown?

One place: the Pickett County Courthouse (listed 1995).

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 (14), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.