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A−History
History · Winchester

Winchester dates to 1809, and 8 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns · #22 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it

Most of Winchester was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. 8 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 17 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1880.

1809founded
8on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
16famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Winchester’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Winchester began

When was Winchester founded?

1809

Winchester dates its founding to 1809 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,039 in 18802020 census: 9,375217 years

How historic is Winchester?

A−

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1812.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Winchester’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Winchester is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #22 of 177 in Tennessee. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Winchester’s overall grade.
Founding era1809, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19408.5% of homes (±3.6) · typical TN town 4.9% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register8 listings, 27 historic buildings, 27.6 per 10,000 residents · typical TN town 6.1 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 77%
NewerOlder
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 88%

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 Winchester’s 27.6 sits above most of its state (78% of Tennessee towns have fewer) while its 27 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). Two sources give 1809.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Winchester’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages7 hamlets and corners are still on the map.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1892 to 1924, drew every building in Winchester.Landmarks on the Register8 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Winchester’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewCamp sketch, 5 miles fr[om] Winchester: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Winchester’s post office has been open since 1812.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Bel-Aire HeightsKissling CrossingMerrit Mobile VillageMountain View AcresMurray Lake EstatesMyersScenic Heights
Gone or out of use
Lees FordcrossingPig Trot Schoolschool
10cemeteries and burying grounds inside Winchester
County FarmDecherd FamilyFinchHillMemorial GardensMemorial ParkSharp SpringsTurnerWallis-Estill-Hayden-MarchWinchester City

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

Every building

Winchester, building by building, 1892–1924

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Winchester fire insurance map, 1892, sheet 11892Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Winchester came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Winchester.

Read it all →

Winchester was created as the seat of justice for Franklin County by act of the Tennessee Legislature on November 22, 1809, and was laid out the following year. The town is named for James Winchester, a soldier in the American Revolution, first Speaker of the Tennessee Legislature, and a brigadier general in the War of 1812, though he never lived in Winchester. The historic Hundred Oaks Castle is located in Winchester.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Winchester, 1809 to 1975

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1809
    FoundingWinchester is established
  3. 1812Post officeThe Winchester post office opens
  4. 1813Born hereReuben Davis is born here
  5. 1860BuiltEstill-Fite House is built
  6. 1863In the archiveCamp sketch, 5 miles fr[om] Winchester
  7. 1880In the archive1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee (TN) - Franklin County - Winchester - E…
  8. 1898BuiltFranklin County Jail is built
  9. 1899BuiltBank of Winchester Building is built
  10. 1899BuiltValentine Square is built
  11. 20th century
  12. 1912Born hereJohn Templeton is born here
  13. 1916Born hereDinah Shore is born here
  14. 1928On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  15. 1975Born hereLaTonya Johnson is born here
By decade

Winchester, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1880s2 items
Camp sketch, 5 miles fr[om] Winchester1863Camp sketch, 5 miles fr[om] Winchester1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee (TN) - Franklin County - Winchester - ED 26-1 to 518801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee (TN…
1890s–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
Date unknown1 to date
Hundred Oaks, Oak Street near U.S. Route 64Date?Hundred Oaks, Oak Street near U.S. Route 64
Today18 recent
Franklin County High School2026Franklin County High SchoolWinchester-Courthouse-Square-tn12016Winchester-Courthouse-Square-tn1Winchester-City-Hall-tn12016Winchester-City-Hall-tn1Valentine-Square-Winchester-tn12016Valentine-Square-Winchester-tn1US41A-Winchester-tn12016US41A-Winchester-tn1Tims-Ford-SR130-tn12016Tims-Ford-SR130-tn1Tims-Ford-Lake-Winchester-sunset-tn12016Tims-Ford-Lake-Winchester-sunset-tn1Tims-Ford-Lake-Winchester-shore-tn12016Tims-Ford-Lake-Winchester-shore-tn1Elk-River-Winchester-tn12016Elk-River-Winchester-tn1Bank-of-Winchester-building-tn12016Bank-of-Winchester-building-tn1US64BusUS41AnSignsRoad-WinchesterTN2015US64BusUS41AnSignsRoad-WinchesterTNUS41AroadAfterSunrise-Winchester2015US41AroadAfterSunrise-WinchesterUS41AnRoadSign-Winchester2015US41AnRoadSign-WinchesterUS41An TN50e Road Signs2015US41An TN50e Road SignsTN50w-US64-US41AsignsDowntownWinchester2015TN50w-US64-US41AsignsDowntownWinchesterEstill-Fite-House-tn12015Estill-Fite-House-tn1DowntownWinchester-US64w-US41An-TN50e2w2015DowntownWinchester-US64w-US41An-TN50e2w2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBook
On the map

Winchester on the map, 1928 to 1971

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

Winchester on the 1928 USGS mapWinchester on the 1936 USGS mapWinchester on the 1947 USGS mapWinchester on the 1971 USGS map1928Decherd 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 Winchester.

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.

Camp sketch, 5 miles fr[om] Winchester
Retake this viewCamp sketch, 5 miles fr[om] Winchester, 1863

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

8 listings protect 27 historic buildings

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

places listed
8
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
27
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Bank of Winchester Building
Bank of Winchester Building, built 1899Estill-Fite House, built 1860Franklin County Jail, built 1898Trinity Episcopal ChurchValentine Square, built 1899Franklin County Courthouse, built 1937Townsend School
BuildingsDistricts
Bank of Winchester BuildingBuilt 1899
Estill-Fite HouseBuilt 1860
Franklin County JailBuilt 1898
Trinity Episcopal ChurchBuilding
Valentine SquareBuilt 1899
Franklin County CourthouseBuilt 1937
All 8 listings
Shook-Vanzant FarmDistrict · listed 1998Townsend SchoolBuilding · listed 2024

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

People over time

Winchester, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,000188019001920194019601980200020209,375

Grew from 1,039 people in 1880 to 9,375 in 2020, 9 times over.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

16 famous people were born in Winchester

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

See all →
Dinah ShoreAmerican singer and actress · b. 1916
J
John TempletonAmerican-born British stock investor, businessm… · b. 1912
Reuben DavisAmerican politician : 1813-1890 · b. 1813
L
LaTonya JohnsonAmerican basketball player · b. 1975
Alontae TaylorAmerican football player · b. 1998
Francis Joseph CampbellAmerican activist and educator · b. 1832
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Decherd1 historic placeC+Cowan1 historic placeB+

Questions about Winchester’s history

What year was Winchester founded?

In 1809, according to Wikidata. Winchester’s post office opened in 1812, and the census of 1880 counted 1,039 people here.

How does Winchester rank for history?

Winchester is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #22 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 Winchester?

8 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Bank of Winchester Building (listed 1978, the first), and 1 historic district, the Shook-Vanzant Farm, with 17 contributing buildings. 27 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Winchester?

9% of Winchester’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 4.9% for a Tennessee town; the median home was built in 1983.

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 (19), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.