Mount Pleasant’s post office opened in 1818, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 85% of U.S. towns · #9 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Rattle and Snap, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 93 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1890.
From Mount Pleasant’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Mount Pleasant began
When was Mount Pleasant founded?
1818
The Mount Pleasant post office opened in 1818, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1824. Two smaller post offices, Ashwood (1841) and Ridley (1895), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 466 in 18902020 census: 4,784208 years
How historic is Mount Pleasant?
A
More historic than 85% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Mount Pleasant post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1824.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mount Pleasant’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mount Pleasant is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #9 of 177 in Tennessee. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mount Pleasant’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 Mount Pleasant’s 211 sits above most of its state (95% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 102 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1824 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 Mount Pleasant’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
Settlement of Mount Pleasant began in the early 19th century, and increased following the construction of the Military Road connecting Nashville and Madisonville, Louisiana, in 1817. By the time Mount Pleasant incorporated as a city in 1824, it was home to a store, tavern, and several churches.
In 1895, brown phosphate rock was discovered in Mount Pleasant, leading to a mining boom, and giving the city its nickname. Within a few years, ten phosphate mining companies were operating in Mount Pleasant, producing over 25,000 tons per year. The city's population grew from 466 in 1890 to 2,007 in 1900. Phosphate mining remained a major part of the city's economy into the latter half of the 20th century.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mount Pleasant. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1936Mount Pleasant sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mount Pleasant.
Every building
Mount Pleasant, building by building, 1889–1916
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.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Mount Pleasant’s post office has been open since 1818. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Mount Pleasant
1818–today
Ashwood
1841–1956
Ridley
1895–1903
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AshwoodJonesboroNeedmoreRidley
Gone or out of use
Canaan SchoolschoolHay Long Elementary SchoolschoolHay Long High SchoolschoolHoover-Mason SchoolschoolHoward High SchoolschoolMaury County Airport MinemineSalem Churchchurch
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Mount Pleasant
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Mount Pleasant’s history
What year was Mount Pleasant founded?
The Mount Pleasant post office opened in 1818, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1824.
How does Mount Pleasant rank for history?
Mount Pleasant is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #9 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 Mount Pleasant?
8 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Rattle and Snap (a National Historic Landmark since 1971) and the St. John's Episcopal Church (listed 1970, the first), and 2 historic districts, the North Main Street Historic District and the Pleasant Historic District, with 93 contributing buildings. 102 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Mount Pleasant?
12% of Mount Pleasant’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 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 (10), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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.
★ Landmark
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