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History · Memphis

Memphis’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Memphis. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Memphis was established in the 1880s when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. A large share of the early settlers being natives of Memphis, Tennessee caused the name to be selected.

Jack C. Owen owned the land that Memphis was platted on. Originally they wanted to call the town Owenville, but Mr. Owen wanted nothing to do with

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Memphis’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from MemphisWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Memphis.Meet them →
By decade

Memphis, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today2 photos
Old Town HallCommonsOld Town Hall2017NEMap-doton-MemphisCommonsNEMap-doton-Memphis2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Memphis is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Memphis has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ashland, 5 miles away.

Memphis and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Memphis. Tap a dot.
St. Stephen's Episcopal ChurchAshland Public LibraryHoffman BuildingNational Bank of AshlandBarnes Oil CompanyCamp Ashland Memorial Hall

Closest to Memphis

St. Stephen's Episcopal ChurchAshland · Built 18725miAshland Public LibraryAshland · Built 19115miHoffman BuildingAshland · Building5.1miNational Bank of AshlandAshland · Site5.1miBarnes Oil CompanyAshland · Building5.5mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. St. Stephen's Episcopal Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Memphis?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Memphis’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Clear Creek📜 Green📜 Ashland📜 Ashland

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Memphis, NEView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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