Jasper’s post office opened in 1819, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #82 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Jasper was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Its Register listing is the McKendree Methodist Episcopal Church. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: the first Jasper post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1820.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Jasper’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jasper is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #82 of 177 in Tennessee. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jasper’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 Jasper’s 2.8 sits near the middle of its state (41% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±3.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1820 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Jasper’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Jasper is named for William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero from South Carolina.
The town was established on land leased for $1 from Elizabeth "Betsy" Pack, daughter of Chief John Lowery and the esteemed Cherokee woman Nannie Watts. Descendants and friends of the family gather semi-annually to place flowers at the courthouse marker. The town's main north-south street, which follows a section of Tennessee State Route 150, has been named in her honor.
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.
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.
The Jasper post office opened in 1819, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1820.
How does Jasper rank for history?
Jasper is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #82 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 Jasper?
One place: the McKendree Methodist Episcopal Church (listed 1978).
How old are the homes in Jasper?
4% of Jasper’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1987.
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), 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.
1974
1974
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