A history of Townsend,
since 1901
Postcards, papers and photographs of Townsend from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Native Americans were the first inhabitants of Tuckaleechee Cove on the Little River; the oldest archaeological finds in the cove date to 2000 B.C. A number of pottery fragments and ax heads dating to the Woodland period have also been found. By 1200 A.D., Tuckaleechee's Native American inhabitants had built a fortified village near the cove's northern entrance.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Townsend’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 viewSupreme Tea Room, Townsend, Tenne…, c. 1930: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Townsend
See all 1 →
Townsend, decade by decade
CommonsSupreme Tea Room, Townsend, Tennessee (78107)c. 1930
CommonsTuckaleechee Village, Townsend, Tenn (88508)c. 1930
CommonsCENTER ENTRY (central area of barn), SHOWING NORTH WALL (ri…1933
CommonsDETAIL AT JUNCTION OF MAIN DAM AT LEFT AND DIVERSION DAM AT…1933
CommonsDETAIL AT NORTHEAST CORNER OF SOUTH CENTRAL PENS, SHOWING S…19331990s
4 historic places in Townsend
4 places in Townsend are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 1989John F. Shea House
Listed 1989Peter Brickey House (Additional Documentation)Listed 1989James McCampbell BarnListed 1989Minnis McCampbell BarnThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Supreme Tea Room, Townsend, Tennessee (78107) (c. 1930) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom 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.