McKenzie’s post office opened in 1866, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns · #94 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of McKenzie was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Its Register listings are the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church-McKenzie, the McKenzie Depot and the Webb Public School. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first McKenzie post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives McKenzie’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, McKenzie is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #94 of 177 in Tennessee. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of McKenzie’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 McKenzie’s 7.1 sits near the middle of its state (56% 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 (±4.5 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 McKenzie’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.
1886Sheet 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.
The city of McKenzie was originally surveyed and platted in 1865 on land that belonged to James McKenzie. This land was at the crossroads of the main lines for the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad and the Louisville & Memphis Railroad, and a station, originally called "McKenzie Station" was erected at the crossing. The town was incorporated by the state of Tennessee on January 22, 1869.
On October 15, 1887, the President of the United States, Grover Cleveland, visited the town and stayed overnight at the McKenzie Hotel, next door to the depot.
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 McKenzie post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does McKenzie rank for history?
McKenzie is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #94 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 McKenzie?
Three places: the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church-McKenzie (listed 1993), the McKenzie Depot (1996) and the Webb Public School (2024).
How old are the homes in McKenzie?
8% of McKenzie’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1972.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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