Cottontown’s post office opened in 1887, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
Most of Cottontown was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Its Register listings are the King Homestead and the Bridal House.
The Cottontown Area was originally inhabited by the Mississippian Culture. One Mississippian site near Cottontown is the Castalian Springs Mound. The Shawnee hunted and traded in the Cumberland River area, but were pushed out by the Cherokee in the early 18th century.
Cottontown is named for Thomas Cotton (1748–1795), who founded the community in 1795. A Militia Captain from North Carolina, Cotton was one of several settlers rewarded land in the area for service in the Revolutionary War. According to 1792 Sumner County tax records, Cotton owned about 1,280 acres (520 hectares) of land.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
