Most of Tazewell was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Its Register listings are the Graham-Kivette House and the Claiborne County Jail. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1914 on.
The Tazewell post office opened in 1806, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Cedar Fork (1869), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,348220 years
How historic is Tazewell?
B
More historic than 56% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Tazewell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tazewell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tazewell is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tazewell’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 Tazewell’s 6.9 sits near the middle of its state (56% 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 C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points). 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 Tazewell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker of Virginia publicized the location of Cumberland Gap, which brought a stream of long hunters down the Clinch and Powell valleys into what is now Claiborne County. The land at the time was part of Cherokee and Shawnee hunting grounds, and hostile attacks by members of these two tribes were not uncommon. To protect themselves, hunters, fur traders and early settlers erected a series of small forts and stations along the Powell and Clinch valleys. One such station, known as Fort Butler, was located just west of modern Tazewell.
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.
The Tazewell post office opened in 1806, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Tazewell rank for history?
Tazewell is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns. 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 Tazewell?
Two places: the Graham-Kivette House (listed 1975) and the Claiborne County Jail (2007).
How old are the homes in Tazewell?
4% of Tazewell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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