Thompson's Station’s post office opened in 1856, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns · #102 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Most of Thompson's Station was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2013. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1880.
The Thompson's Station post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Harpeth (1815), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 135 in 18802020 census: 7,485170 years
How historic is Thompson's Station?
C+
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Thompson's Station post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Thompson's Station’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Thompson's Station is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #102 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 Thompson's Station’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 Thompson's Station’s 8.4 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% 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 (±4.7 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 Thompson's Station’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Thompson's Station on the map, 1909 to 1979
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Thompson's Station. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Franklin sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Thompson's Station.
The first settlers arrived in what is now Thompson's Station in the late 18th century. The community was originally known as "White House," but changed its name to "Littlebury" in 1836. After the arrival of the railroad in 1855, Dr. Elijah Thompson donated land for a town and train station, and the community was renamed for him.
On March 5, 1863, during the Civil War, the Battle of Thompson's Station was fought, with Confederate forces led by General Earl Van Dorn defeating Union forces under Colonel John Coburn.
The Thompson's Station post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Thompson's Station rank for history?
Thompson's Station is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #102 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 Thompson's Station?
6 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Homestead Manor (listed 1977, the first). 7 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Thompson's Station?
5% of Thompson's Station’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 2013.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, 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.
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