Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Henry was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1880.
The Henry post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Henry Station (1860), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Henry’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Henry yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Henry is a town in Henry County, Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, Henry had a population of 446. Gospel singer Bobby Jones was born here.
Its first post office opened in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 464 to 446 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Henry, cut from the printed page as they were published.
which has since been doubled in value. It cost the county about $287,- 000 to redeem the original bonds for the $100,000, the last one of which was canceled in 1880. The railroad was completed through the county in 1860, and has stations at Springville, Paris and Henry. In 1827 the taxable property of Henry County, as shown by the duplicate of that date, and the taxes charged thereon were as follows: 138,345 acres of land, 909 free polls, 797 slaves, 93 town lots, 6 stores, 3 taverns, 18 stud horses, 4 four-wheeled carriages, 2 two-wheeled carriages — the amount of taxes
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Among the pioneer school-teachers of Henry County were John Reavis, Henry Lightfoot, Samuel Hankins, Wm. Watson, Henry Harding and Samuel W. Fleming; and the pioneer schools, as is the case in all newly settled counties, were of a primary character. No free school system then existed, and the first schools were known as subscription schools,” that is, a stated price per pupil for each month was paid directly to the teacher by the parent or guardian. As soon as villages were established and the population became sufficient to sustain them, academies
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Henry. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Henry.
Between 146 and 520 people in every census since 1880.
13 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Henry’s Wikipedia page.
Henry’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, Henry Station, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Henry post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
