Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Smyrna

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
C−History
History · Smyrna

Smyrna’s post office opened in 1851, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #144 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it

Most of Smyrna was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Its Register listings are the Sam Davis House and the Idler's Retreat. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1957 on, and the census since 1880.

1851first post office
2on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
17famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Smyrna began

When was Smyrna founded?

1851

The Smyrna post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1855. Another post office, Stewartsboro (1836), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 215 in 18802020 census: 53,070175 years

How historic is Smyrna?

C−

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Smyrna post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1855.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Smyrna’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Smyrna is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #144 of 177 in Tennessee. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Smyrna’s overall grade.
Founding era1851, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19401.1% of homes (±0.5) · typical TN town 4.9% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register2 listings, 0.4 per 10,000 residents · typical TN town 6.1 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 23%
NewerOlder
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 19%

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 Smyrna’s 0.4 sits below most of its state (33% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1855 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 Smyrna’s past

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

Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Smyrna, and 20 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A town of family graveyards43 cemeteries and burying grounds inside Smyrna.Famous sons and daughtersJalen Ramsey, William Barksdale and 15 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Smyrna’s post office has been open since 1851. Another post office, Stewartsboro, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Stewartsboro
1836–1852
Smyrna
1851–today
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Davis MeadowsFoxland ForestGreen AcresHales CampHickory GroveHilltopLake Farm EstatesLambLoafers CornerMcAndore EstatesNeal CircleOak ValleyPioneer EstatesQuail RidgeRosswoodStones River HomesTarrytown EstatesValley Green AcresWadeWeakley Hills
Gone or out of use
Bowring SchoolschoolGregory MilllocaleSewart Air Force BasemilitarySmyrna Hospitalhospital
43family graveyards and cemeteries inside Smyrna
BlairChrismanClarkEspeyEtterFergusHardemanHarrisHollandHollowayHorwayJamesLeeMapleviewMarableMitchell-MooreMortonMullinsNelsonNelsonNevinPattersonPottsPottsPottsRayRay-CookeReed-WoodsReinhardtRidleySam DavisSandersSanfordTempleton GroveThompsonTuckerWaldenWalpole-GarnerWardWardWardWardWhite - Lowry
See all 43

Blair Cemetery · Chrisman Cemetery · Clark Cemetery · Espey Cemetery · Etter Cemetery · Fergus Cemetery · Hardeman Cemetery · Harris Cemetery · Holland Cemetery · Holloway Cemetery · Horway Cemetery · James Cemetery · Lee Cemetery · Mapleview Cemetery · Marable Cemetery · Mitchell-Moore Cemetery · Morton Cemetery · Mullins Cemetery · Nelson Cemetery · Nelson Cemetery · Nevin Cemetery · Patterson Cemetery · Potts Cemetery · Potts Cemetery · Potts Cemetery · Ray Cemetery · Ray-Cooke Cemetery · Reed-Woods Cemetery · Reinhardt Cemetery · Ridley Cemetery · Sam Davis Cemetery · Sanders Cemetery · Sanford Cemetery · Templeton Grove Cemetery · Thompson Cemetery · Tucker Cemetery · Walden Cemetery · Walpole-Garner Cemetery · Ward Cemetery · Ward Cemetery · Ward Cemetery · Ward Cemetery · White - Lowry Cemetery

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

Help out

Start Smyrna’s collection

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

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

How Smyrna came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Smyrna.

Read it all →

The town of Smyrna has its European American roots in the early 19th century and began as an agrarian community. It was important during the Civil War because its railroad station lies between Nashville and Chattanooga. One of the major events of the war for the town involved the Confederate States soldier Sam Davis, who, after being charged with spying, gave up his life instead of giving any information to the Union Army. He was captured November 20, 1863, and was hanged by Union forces on November 27 of that year. The Sam Davis Plantation, located on 160 acres (0.65 km2) of well-maintained farmland, is the town's most important historical site.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Smyrna, 1810 to 1994

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1810BuiltSam Davis House is built
  3. 1821Born hereWilliam Barksdale is born here
  4. 1836Post officeThe Stewartsboro post office opens
  5. 1851Post officeThe Smyrna post office opens
  6. 1852Post officeThe Stewartsboro post office closes
  7. 20th century
  8. 1909Born hereBen H. Guill is born here
  9. 1924In the archiveMap of Burned Area in
  10. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1961Born herePaul Thompson is born here
  12. 1994Born hereJalen Ramsey is born here
By decade

Smyrna, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item
Map of Burned Area in1924Map of Burned Area inMap
1930s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today10 recent
Motlow State Community College - Smyrna Center2014Motlow State Community College - Smyrna CenterIdler's Retreat2014Idler's RetreatSmyrna, TN, USA2013Smyrna, TN, USASmyrna, TN, USA - panoramio (3)2013Smyrna, TN, USA - panoramio (3)Smyrna, TN, USA - panoramio (2)2013Smyrna, TN, USA - panoramio (2)Smyrna, TN, USA - panoramio (1)2013Smyrna, TN, USA - panoramio (1)Visitors walking the Old Jefferson Trail in2012Visitors walking the Old Jefferson Trail inSam Davis House2012Sam Davis HouseTennessee cities by population2009Tennessee cities by populationUntitled photo2007Untitled photo
On the map

Smyrna on the map, 1957 to 1998

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

Smyrna on the 1957 USGS mapSmyrna on the 1979 USGS mapSmyrna on the 1983 USGS mapSmyrna on the 1998 USGS map1957Smyrna 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 Smyrna.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Smyrna

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1969
Sam Davis House
Sam Davis House, built 1810Idler's Retreat
Buildings
Sam Davis HouseBuilt 1810
Idler's RetreatBuilding

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

People over time

Smyrna, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,0001880190019201940196019802000202053,070

Grew from 215 people in 1880 to 53,070 in 2020, more than tenfold.

12 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

17 famous people were born in Smyrna

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

See all →
Jalen RamseyAmerican football player · b. 1994
William BarksdaleConfederate Army general · b. 1821
Ben H. GuillAmerican politician · b. 1909
P
Paul ThompsonFormer American basketball player, born 1961 · b. 1961
Ethelbert BarksdaleAmerican politician · b. 1824
Jess NeelyAmerican football player and coach, baseball co… · b. 1898
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

La VergneIts storyDMurfreesboro27 historic placesB+

Questions about Smyrna’s history

What year was Smyrna founded?

The Smyrna post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1855.

How does Smyrna rank for history?

Smyrna is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #144 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 Smyrna?

Two places: the Sam Davis House (listed 1969) and the Idler's Retreat (2004).

How old are the homes in Smyrna?

1% of Smyrna’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 2000.

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 (11), Wikidata (1), 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.