Lexington’s post office opened in 1824, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #72 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Lexington was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Its Register listings are the Thompsie Edwards House and the Montgomery High School. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1880.
The Lexington post office opened in 1824, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Timber Lake (1897), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 329 in 18802020 census: 7,956202 years
How historic is Lexington?
B
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Lexington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lexington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lexington is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #72 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 Lexington’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 Lexington’s 5.0 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±3.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Lexington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1896Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Lexington’s post office has been open since 1824. Another post office, Timber Lake, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Lexington
1824–today
Timber Lake
1897–1897
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Beech RiverStringtownTimberlake
Gone or out of use
Beech River ChurchchurchFranklin Wilkins Airportairport
1cemetery inside Lexington
Beech River
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Timeline
Lexington, 1824 to 1961
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Shortly after the 1821 creation of Henderson County, a site near its center was chosen as a county seat, and was named in honor of Lexington, Massachusetts, site of the first battle of the American Revolution. Land grant holder Samuel Wilson gave the land for the town, retaining a lot on the square where his house was already situated. The square is oriented so the corners point to the cardinal points on the compass. The first county courthouse was built in 1823; Lexington was incorporated in 1824 and by 1830 had a population of 260.
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 Lexington post office opened in 1824, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Lexington rank for history?
Lexington is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #72 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 Lexington?
Two places: the Thompsie Edwards House (listed 1983) and the Montgomery High School (2007).
How old are the homes in Lexington?
4% of Lexington’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 1981.
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 (5), the Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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), 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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