Morristown dates to 1787, and 12 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 71% of U.S. towns · #39 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Morristown was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 12 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 49 buildings between them. Below: 14 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Morristown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Morristown is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #39 of 177 in Tennessee. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Morristown’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 Morristown’s 19.3 sits above most of its state (73% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 61 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1787.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Morristown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Number 1467localeLittle Pineville ChurchchurchPanther Creek QuarrymineReed ChapelchurchRose Schoolschool
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Morristown
Cedar GroveEmma JarnaginMartha SunderlandMorelockOld Saint Paul
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Morristown, building by building, 1887–1922
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.
Before its settlement by European-Americans, the area of Morristown was inhabited by Native Americans, predominately members of the Cherokee tribe. During the Cherokee's inhabitance, the area was based around two major pathways, an east-west route that was later developed into the Great Stage Road in the settlement era, and a north-south route known as Buffalo Trail, named for a legend stating the path was formed from herds of buffalo traveling from Asheville, North Carolina to the Powell River near the Cumberland Gap for the river's salt licks.
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.
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.
In 1787, according to Wikidata. Morristown’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1860 counted 500 people here.
How does Morristown rank for history?
Morristown is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #39 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 Morristown?
12 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Bethesda Presbyterian Church (listed 1973, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Crockett Tavern Museum and the Morristown Main Street Historic District, with 49 contributing buildings. 61 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Morristown?
5% of Morristown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 (14), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (12), 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.
1880
1933
1936
1936
1936
1936
1948
1948
1948
1981
