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B−History
History · Smithville

Smithville’s post office opened in 1838, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #87 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it

Most of Smithville was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Its Register listings are the Evans Block and the Susie Foster Log House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1960 on, and the census since 1890.

1838first post office
2on the National Register
0.7%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Smithville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Smithville began

When was Smithville founded?

1838

The Smithville post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 572 in 18902020 census: 5,004188 years

How historic is Smithville?

B−

More historic than 48% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Smithville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Smithville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Smithville is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #87 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 Smithville’s overall grade.
Founding era1838, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19400.7% of homes (±1.1) · typical TN town 4.9% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register2 listings, 3 historic buildings, 5.7 per 10,000 residents · typical TN town 6.1 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 48%
NewerOlder
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 51%

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 Smithville’s 5.7 sits near the middle of its state (52% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. 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 Smithville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1838: 188 years of Smithville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Smithville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewTenn. - Smithville - Hanging of Presswo…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Smithville, 1838 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1838Post officeThe Smithville post office opens
  3. 1872In the archiveTenn. - Smithville - Hanging of Presswood in courthouse square
  4. 1874Born hereCharles P. Cantrell is born here
  5. 1894BuiltEvans Block is built
  6. 20th century
  7. 1914Born hereBob Allen is born here
  8. 1915Born hereWilson Fitts is born here
  9. 1935Born hereDan Evins is born here
  10. 1950BuiltSusie Foster Log House is built
  11. 1960On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story so far

Smithville, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Smithville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Smithville is a city in DeKalb County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,004 at the 2020 census, up from 3,994 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of DeKalb County. Smithville is home to the Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree, which it has hosted annually since 1972.

Its first post office opened in 1838. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,530 to 5,004 (+10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Smithville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Tenn. - Smithville - Hanging of Presswood in courthouse square1872Tenn. - Smithville - Hanging of Presswood in courthou…
Today9 recent
Smithville-courthouse-square-2nd-tn12016Smithville-courthouse-square-2nd-tn1Smithville-Walnut-Street-tn12016Smithville-Walnut-Street-tn1Smithville-Market-Street-tn12016Smithville-Market-Street-tn1Smithville-City-Hall-tn12016Smithville-City-Hall-tn1Evin's Mill2016Evin's MillDeKalb County High School, Smithville, Tennessee - 05-27-20132013DeKalb County High School, Smithville, Tennessee - 05…Smithville-evans-block-tn12009Smithville-evans-block-tn1Smithville tn city hall2007Smithville tn city hallPamida outlet (Smithville, TN - 2006)2006Pamida outlet (Smithville, TN - 2006)
On the map

Smithville on the map, 1960 to 1979

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

Smithville on the 1960 USGS mapSmithville on the 1979 USGS map1960Smithville 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 Smithville.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Tenn. - Smithville - Hanging of Presswood in courthouse square
Retake this viewTenn. - Smithville - Hanging of Presswood in courthouse square, 1872

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Smithville’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Smithville

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Evans Block
Evans Block, built 1894Susie Foster Log House, built 1950
Buildings
Evans BlockBuilt 1894
All 2 listings
Susie Foster Log HouseBuilding · listed 2007

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

People over time

Smithville, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,50019001920194019601980200020205,004

Grew from 572 people in 1890 to 5,004 in 2020, 8 times over.

12 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Smithville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Charles P. CantrellUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1874
D
Dan EvinsThe cofounder of Cracker Barrel · b. 1935
W
Wilson FittsAmerican basketball player · b. 1915
B
Bob AllenBaseball pitcher · b. 1914
Greg TubbsAmerican baseball player · b. 1962
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

Smithville’s post office has been open since 1838.

7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Smithville
CannadyCrowleyLockhartMcGuireMount HollySmithville TownWright

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

Questions about Smithville’s history

What year was Smithville founded?

The Smithville post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Smithville rank for history?

Smithville is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #87 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 Smithville?

Two places: the Evans Block (listed 1984) and the Susie Foster Log House (2007).

How old are the homes in Smithville?

0.7% of Smithville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1976.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (10), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.