A history of Jonesborough,
since 1779
Postcards, papers and photographs of Jonesborough from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Located in the far northeast corner of the state, Jonesborough was founded by European Americans in 1779, 17 years before Tennessee became a state and while the area was under the jurisdiction of North Carolina. It was named after North Carolina legislator Willie Jones, who had supported the state's westward expansion across the Appalachian Mountains.
The town was renamed "Jonesboro" for a period of time, but it took back its historic spelling.
Jonesborough was originally a part of the Washington District. In 1784, it became the capital of the autonomous State of Franklin (ostensibly named after American founding father, Benjamin Franklin). Congress, however, never recognized Franklin, which was reclaimed by North Carolina in late 1788.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Jonesborough’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewSamuel W. Boring, 1888: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Jonesborough
See all 14 →
Jonesborough, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Samuel W. Boring (1888) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (5) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.