Polk County, Tennessee
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 19 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1973. Most listings are in or near Ducktown, Copperhill, Benton.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Tennessee is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Polk titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP8 of 19 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
19 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Burra Burra Mine Historic District | Ducktown | 1983 |
| Buzzard's Roost Historic District | Ducktown | 1992 |
| Center & Abernathy Store Building | Copperhill | 1992 |
| Central Headframe | Ducktown | 1992 |
| Copeland House | Parksville | 1984 |
| Copperhill Historic District | Copperhill | 1992 |
| Copperhill Historic District (Boundary Increase) | Copperhill | 2008 |
| Ducktown Historic District | Ducktown | 1992 |
| Isabella Managers' Row | Isabella | 1992 |
| Kimsey Junior College | Ducktown | 1992 |
| Knoxville Southern Railroad Historic District | Reliance | 2007 |
| Newtown Historic District | Copperhill | 1992 |
| Ocoee Hydroelectric Plant No. 2 | Ocoee | 1979 |
| Ocoee No. 1 Hydroelectric Station | Parksville | 1990 |
| Ocoee No. 3 Hydroelectric Project | Benton | 2017 |
| Polk County Courthouse | Benton | 1993 |
| Reliance Historic District | Reliance | 1986 |
| Ward, Nancy, Tomb | Benton | 1973 |
| Wiggins, William, House | Benton | 1993 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBPolk was formed in 1839 (1839-11-28) from Bradley, McMINN.
POLK created from BRADLEY and McMINN.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusPolk County population from 1840 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,570 | 8,726 | 7,269 | 11,357 | 14,243 | 15,473 | 14,074 | 12,160 | 13,602 | 16,050 | 17,544 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS55 cemeteries and 7 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 55 of 55 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Amburn Cemetery |
| Baker Chapel Cemetery |
| Ball Play Baptist Church Cemetery |
| Bates Cemetery |
| Beckler Cemetery |
| Benton Memorial Gardens |
| Bethlehem Cemetery |
| Brock Cemetery |
| Brock Graveyard Cemetery |
| Burchfield Cemetery |
| Butler Cemetery |
| Campbellite Cemetery |
| Campground Cemetery |
| Carden Cemetery |
| Carden Cemetery |
| Chastain Cemetery |
| Crestlawn Cemetery |
| Cumberland Shed Cemetery |
| Cumberland Shed Cemetery |
| Curbow Cemetery |
| Delano Cemetery |
| Dill Cemetery |
| Dills Cemetery |
| Dunn Cemetery |
| Fitzsimmons Cemetery |
| Fitzsimmons Cemetery |
| Freeland Town Cemetery |
| Hampton Cemetery |
| Hedden Grave |
| Hillard - Ladd Cemetery |
| Hillard - Ladd Cemetery |
| Hooker Cemetery |
| Hooker Cemetery |
| Lindner Cemetery |
| McJunkin Cemetery |
| McNair Cemetery |
| McNair Cemetery |
| Morgan Cemetery |
| Mueller Cemetery |
| Mueller Cemetery |
| Nancy Ward Cemetery |
| Neal Chapel Cemetery |
| Nicholson Cemetery |
| Old Fairview Cemetery |
| Old Fort Cemetery |
| Padgett Cemetery |
| Parker Cemetery |
| Parris Cemetery |
| Price Cemetery |
| Reliance Cemetery |
| Runyon Cemetery |
| Spurling Cemetery |
| Stephens Cemetery |
| Threewit Cemetery |
| Witt Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 7 of 7
| Name |
|---|
| Boonville |
| Chable |
| Columbus |
| Fetzerton |
| Grief |
| Rymers |
| Stewardtown |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Polk County, Tennessee
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