Most of Whitwell was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Its Register listing is the Whitwell Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1880 on.
The Whitwell post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1956. Another post office, Cheeksville (1830), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 1,641137 years
How historic is Whitwell?
C+
More historic than 36% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Whitwell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1956.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Whitwell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Whitwell is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Whitwell’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 Whitwell’s 4.9 sits near the middle of its state (47% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1956.
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 Whitwell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town that became Whitwell was originally known as Cheekville, but renamed "Whitwell" for Thomas Whitwell, a British metallurgist, inventor and co-founder of the Southern States Coal, Iron and Land Company, who was killed in an accident in his own ironworks in Thornaby in 1878. Whitwell was incorporated as a city in 1956, having grown as a mining town due to the abundance of coal in the mountains near the town. In 1981, there was a major mining accident when 13 coal miners were killed in an explosion. A full list of the names of those killed in the mine explosion is on a monument at Whitwell High School. Whitwell also has an annual Labor Day celebration that has been celebrated for over 50 consecutive years.
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.
Whitwell’s post office has been open since 1889. Another post office, Cheeksville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Cheeksville
1830–1887
Whitwell
1889–today
18301930today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Whitwell
PryorWalker
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Whitwell’s history
What year was Whitwell founded?
The Whitwell post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1956.
How does Whitwell rank for history?
Whitwell is more historic than 36% 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 Whitwell?
One place: the Whitwell Cumberland Presbyterian Church (listed 2018).
How old are the homes in Whitwell?
7% of Whitwell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (1), 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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