More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #164 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Harrison was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: 6 old photos and papers and maps from 1935 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Harrison is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #164 of 177 in Tennessee. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Harrison’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 Harrison’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (16% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Harrison’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town developed southeast of Vann's Ferry (Vann Town), a ferry crossing established by James Vann, a prominent Cherokee trader and planter. It was later named Harrison after President William Henry Harrison and became the seat of Hamilton County in 1840. The county seat was later moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, after the Civil War. The first post office was opened on June 16, 1841. In 1870 the Hamilton County Courthouse was moved from Harrison to Chattanooga.
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.
Harrison is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #164 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.
How old are the homes in Harrison?
2% of Harrison’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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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