Most of Gleason was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1966. Its Register listings are the Dr. Robert W. Bandy House and the First Christian Church. Its Register listings are the Dr. Robert W. Bandy House and the First Christian Church. Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1880.
Gleason first appears in the census in 1880. Two smaller post offices, Oak Wood (1852) and Gleeson Station (1867), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 121 in 18802020 census: 1,369146 years
How historic is Gleason?
B−
More historic than 46% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gleason is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gleason’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 Gleason’s 17.3 sits above most of its state (70% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Gleason’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Gleason’s post office has been open since 1907. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Oak Wood
1852–1855
Gleeson Station
1867–1907
Gleason
1907–today
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Masonic Male and Female Instituteschool
1cemetery inside Gleason
Smyth
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Gleason, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gleason yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Gleason is a town in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Gleason had a population of 1,369. The city holds an annual Tater Town Parade and festival in the fall. Gleason is the hometown of Gordon Stoker, first tenor of the famous backup group The Jordanaires.
Its first post office opened in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,445 to 1,369 (-5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Gleason, 1852 to 1967
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Gleason, census by census
Between 121 and 1,463 people in every census since 1880.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Gleason’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Gleason’s history
What year was Gleason founded?
The Gleason post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Gleason rank for history?
Gleason is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns. 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 Gleason?
Two places: the Dr. Robert W. Bandy House (listed 1984) and the First Christian Church (2002).
How old are the homes in Gleason?
8% of Gleason’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1966.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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