A history of Gallatin,
since 1802
Postcards, papers and photographs of Gallatin from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Prior to Gallatin's official establishment, the area along Station Camp Creek was secured by early pioneers. In 1780, Captain William Asher established Asher's Station. This fortified stockade served as a vital defensive outpost and a voting hub under the Cumberland Compact. Gallatin was later established in 1802 as the permanent county seat of Sumner County, in what is called the Middle Tennessee region of the state. The town was named after Albert Gallatin, Secretary of Treasury to Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Andrew Jackson became one of the first to purchase a lot when the town was surveyed and platted in 1803. The town was built around a traditional plan of an open square. Jackson founded the first general store in Gallatin.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Gallatin’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1877 Buffalo balloon cover, 1877: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Gallatin
See all 25 →
Gallatin, decade by decade
1920s
1990s
15 historic places in Gallatin
Gallatin has 15 listings on the National Register, and they protect 89 historic buildings, because Gallatin Commercial Historic District alone counts 66.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 1970Cragfont
Listed 1978Rosemont
Listed 1978Walnut Grove
Listed 1985Oakley
Listed 1985Gallatin Commercial Historic District
Listed 1985James B. Jameson House
Listed 1987Williamson and Adams Carriage Factory
Listed 1992Oakland
Listed 1994Wall Spring
Listed 2009Trousdale-Baskerville House
Listed 2011Douglass-Clark HouseListed 1975Trousdale Place (Additional Documentation)Listed 1982Gallatin Presbyterian ChurchListed 2000Maple CottageListed 2003Maple ShadeThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1877 Buffalo balloon cover (1877) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (9) and the National Register (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.