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History · Henning

Henning dates to 1873, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the W. E. Palmer House. Below: maps from 1961 on and the census since 1880.

1873founded
1on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Henning began

When was Henning founded?

1873

Henning dates its founding to 1873 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 148 in 18802020 census: 871153 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1875.The full story ↓

What stands out about Henning’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 Henning are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1930 and 1940, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Henning’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Henning’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
People over time

Henning, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020639 in 1930Low: 415

Lost a third of its people between 1930 and 1940, then more than doubled.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Henning came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Henning.

Read it all →

Founded in the late 1800s, the town is named after prominent businessman and railway official William H. Henning. The infamous Battle of Fort Pillow, a Civil War victory for the Confederates, took place near Henning. Here, nearly 300 black troops serving in the Union Army were massacred after surrendering by Confederates under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest. The Confederate refusal to treat these troops as traditional prisoners of war infuriated the North, and led to the Union’s refusal to participate in prisoner exchanges. Union survivors’ accounts, later supported by a federal investigation, concluded that African-American troops were massacred by Forrest’s men after surrendering.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Henning, 1873 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873
    FoundingHenning is established
  3. 1875Post officeThe Henning post office opens
  4. 1895Born hereNoah Lewis is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1905Born hereJohn Henry Barbee is born here
  7. 1925Born hereGeorge W. Haley is born here
  8. 1937Born hereJim Hickman is born here
  9. 1961On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 21st century
  11. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 970
By decade

Henning, decade by decade

Today20 recent
Henning TN 2014-02-01 0112014Henning TN 2014-02-01 011Henning TN 2014-02-01 0102014Henning TN 2014-02-01 010Henning TN 2014-02-01 0092014Henning TN 2014-02-01 009Henning TN 2014-02-01 0082014Henning TN 2014-02-01 008Henning TN 2014-02-01 0072014Henning TN 2014-02-01 007Henning TN 2014-02-01 0062014Henning TN 2014-02-01 006Henning TN 2014-02-01 0052014Henning TN 2014-02-01 005Henning TN 2014-02-01 0042014Henning TN 2014-02-01 004Henning TN 2014-02-01 0032014Henning TN 2014-02-01 003Henning TN 2014-02-01 0022014Henning TN 2014-02-01 002Henning TN 2014-02-01 0012014Henning TN 2014-02-01 001Henning TN 2013-09-14 0142013Henning TN 2013-09-14 014Henning TN 2013-09-14 0132013Henning TN 2013-09-14 013Henning TN 2013-09-14 0122013Henning TN 2013-09-14 012Henning TN 2013-09-14 0112013Henning TN 2013-09-14 011Henning TN 01-07-2012 0112012Henning TN 01-07-2012 011Henning TN 01-07-2012 0102012Henning TN 01-07-2012 010Henning TN 01-07-2012 0012012Henning TN 01-07-2012 001Henning TN welcome sign US51 022010Henning TN welcome sign US51 02Henning TN welcome sign US51 012010Henning TN welcome sign US51 01
On the map

Henning on the map, 1961 to 1983

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

Henning on the 1961 USGS mapHenning on the 1972 USGS mapHenning on the 1983 USGS map1961Rialto sheet · 1:62,500

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in Henning

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
1978
W. E. Palmer House
W. E. Palmer House
Buildings
W. E. Palmer HouseBuilding

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

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Henning

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
John Henry BarbeeAmerican Delta blues singer and guitarist · b. 1905
G
George W. HaleyAmerican lawyer and diplomat · b. 1925
Jim HickmanAmerican baseball player · b. 1937
Noah LewisAmerican jug band and country blues musician · b. 1895
Ramon FosterPlayer of American football · b. 1986
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Ripley4 historic placesB+

Questions about Henning’s history

What year was Henning founded?

In 1873, according to Wikidata. Henning’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1880 counted 148 people here.

What is on the National Register in Henning?

One place: the W. E. Palmer House (listed 1978).

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 (20), 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.