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History · Normandy

Normandy dates to 1852, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 45 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1936 on and the census since 1880.

1852founded
2on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Brent Moore · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Normandy began

When was Normandy founded?

1852

Normandy dates its founding to 1852 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 76 in 18802020 census: 108174 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓

What stands out about Normandy’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Normandy are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Normandy Historic District takes in 44 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 207 in 1930; 108 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Normandy’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Normandy’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Normandy’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 45 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
45
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Normandy Historic District
Normandy Historic District
Districts
All 2 listings
Normandy Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985Normandy Dam ProjectDistrict · listed 2017

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Normandy, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 207

Peaked at 207 in 1930; 108 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Normandy’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Normandy came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Normandy.

Read it all →

Normandy was established in 1852 as a railroad town on the old Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad Line later the Nashville, Chattanooga, & St. Louis Railroad.

The Normandy lake is also a fishing hot spot in Bedford county.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Normandy, 1852 to 1955

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852
    FoundingNormandy is established
  3. 1854Post officeThe Normandy post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 207
  6. 1936On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1955Born hereDaniel Johnson is born here
By decade

Normandy, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Untitled photo2010Untitled photoNormandy, TN - Population 1412004Normandy, TN - Population 141
On the map

Normandy on the map, 1936 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Normandy. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Normandy on the 1936 USGS mapNormandy on the 1947 USGS mapNormandy on the 1983 USGS map1936Normandy 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 Normandy.

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Normandy’s post office has been open since 1854.

Gone or out of use
Normandy Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Normandy’s history

What year was Normandy founded?

In 1852, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Normandy’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1880 counted 76 people here.

What is on the National Register in Normandy?

Two places: the Normandy Historic District (listed 1985) and the Normandy Dam Project (2017).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), 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) 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.