Greeneville dates to 1783, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #24 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Greeneville was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 40 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1797.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Greeneville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Greeneville is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #24 of 177 in Tennessee. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Greeneville’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 Greeneville’s 27.5 sits above most of its state (78% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 43 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1783.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Greeneville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Frazier SchoolschoolHartman Mine Number OnemineHartman Mine Number TwomineNew Hope Schoolschool
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Greeneville
Andrew Johnson NationalHarmonyMount BethelNew HopeOak Grove
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Greeneville, building by building, 1887–1927
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.
Native Americans were hunting and camping in the Nolichucky Valley as early as the Paleo-Indian period (c. 10,000 B.C.). A substantial Woodland period (1000 B.C. - 1000 A.D.) village existed at the Nolichucky's confluence with Big Limestone Creek (now part of Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park). By the time the first Euro-American settlers arrived in the area in the late 18th century, the Cherokee claimed the valley as part of their hunting grounds. The Great Indian Warpath passed just northwest of modern Greeneville, and the townsite is believed to have once been the juncture of two lesser Native American trails.
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.
In 1783, according to Wikidata. Greeneville’s post office opened in 1797, and the census of 1850 counted 660 people here.
How does Greeneville rank for history?
Greeneville is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #24 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 Greeneville?
5 listings: 3 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site and the Greeneville Historic District, with 40 contributing buildings. 43 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Greeneville?
8% of Greeneville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (11), 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.
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