Memphis history and landmarks

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. History on this page comes from the Tennessee Historical Society’s Tennessee Encyclopedia entries for Memphis and Shelby County; listings from the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places data; hours from each museum’s own site.

Memphis was founded in 1819 on the Fourth Chickasaw Bluff above the Mississippi River by John Overton, James Winchester and Andrew Jackson, who named it for the capital of ancient Egypt, and it was incorporated as a town in 1826, according to the Tennessee Encyclopedia. The city has 187 entries on the National Register of Historic Places, starting with the Beale Street Historic District in 1966. The National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry St., is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Tuesday.

Plan a visit

• National Civil Rights Museum: 450 Mulberry St.; civilrightsmuseum.org
• Museum of Science and History (Pink Palace) and Mallory-Neely House: 901-636-2362
• Elmwood Cemetery: 824 S. Dudley St.; grounds open daily, free
• Shelby County Register of Deeds (historic property records): register.shelby.tn.us

How Memphis began

From the Tennessee Encyclopedia, published by the Tennessee Historical Society:

• 1540s: Hernando de Soto’s expedition passes through; Native Americans had lived on the bluff before it.
• 1795: Spain builds Fort San Fernando on the bluffs.
• 1819: Overton, Winchester and Jackson found Memphis. The General Assembly creates Shelby County on Nov. 24, 1819.
• 1826: Memphis is incorporated as a town. The county seat had moved to Raleigh two years earlier and returned to Memphis in 1868.
• 1840 to 1858: the population grows from fewer than 1,800 to 22,000 as railroads arrive; by 1861 two lines link Memphis to the Southeast and Midwest.
• June 6, 1862: Memphis falls to Union gunboats in a 90-minute river battle watched by 10,000 people from the bluff; occupation lasts more than three years.
• 1866: three days of racial violence leave 44 Black residents dead and 12 schools and four churches burned.
• 1867 to 1879: yellow fever epidemics in 1867, 1873, 1878 and 1879 kill thousands; bankruptcy costs the city its charter in 1879, and it is governed as the “Taxing District of Shelby County.”
• 1893: the state restores home rule; by 1900 the population passes 100,000.
• 1967-68: a new charter creates the mayor-council government; the sanitation workers’ strike follows, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis.
• 1991: Memphis elects William Herenton, its first Black mayor.

Downtown’s historic districts

The Beale Street Historic District, Beale Street from Second to Fourth streets, was the first Memphis listing in 1966 and is a National Historic Landmark. Other districts in the data include the Victorian Village District on Adams and Jefferson (1972), the South Main Street area, Cotton Row and Court Square, and Midtown’s Overton Park, Central Gardens and Overton Parkway districts. Use the table below for each one’s year.

Museums, sites and cemeteries open to visitors

National Register of Historic Places in Memphis

Every entry with a Memphis address in the National Park Service’s National Register data, by the year listed. Entries marked “Additional Documentation” or “Boundary Increase” are later updates to an earlier listing; the four National Historic Landmarks are Beale Street, Chucalissa Indian Village, Sun Record Company and Graceland. Some are private homes; please view them from the street.

What this means for you

• Start with the National Civil Rights Museum and Beale Street; both are downtown and listed.
• Elmwood Cemetery’s grounds are free and open every day.
• Own an old building? The Memphis Landmarks Commission and our permits and zoning guide cover local historic districts.

More guides: things to do this month, parks and trails and getting around Memphis.

Frequently asked questions

When was Memphis founded?

In 1819, by John Overton, James Winchester and Andrew Jackson, who named it for the ancient capital of Egypt. Memphis was incorporated as a town in 1826, according to the Tennessee Encyclopedia.

Why did Memphis lose its charter?

After the yellow fever epidemics of the 1870s, falling property values and years of poor fiscal management ended in bankruptcy and the loss of the city charter in 1879. The state restored home rule in 1893.

How many National Register sites are in Memphis?

The National Park Service’s National Register data lists 187 entries with a Memphis address, from the Beale Street Historic District in 1966 to four listings in 2024, counting later boundary increases and added documentation.

What are the National Historic Landmarks in Memphis?

In the National Register data: the Beale Street Historic District (1966), Chucalissa Indian Village (1994), Sun Record Company (2003) and Graceland (2006).

What are the hours of the National Civil Rights Museum?

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Tuesday, when it is closed, at 450 Mulberry St. Tennessee residents get free admission on Mondays from 3 p.m. to closing, except holidays.