Nameless, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Nameless is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Tennessee
.
, the place for a name on the application was left blank, and the U.S. Post Office Department returned the application with "Nameless" stamped on the form. In the 1982 book Blue Highways: A Journey Into America
, William Least Heat-Moon
reported a variant explanation in which the residents themselves decided that the community should be "nameless" after one of them said "This here’s a nameless place if I ever seen one, so leave it be." Another variation of the story was provided in a 1933 article in the Jackson County Sentinel newspaper, which said that a local official had initially sought to name the post office "Morgan" for county attorney general George Morgan, but the Post Office Department had rejected that name, possibly because the name "Morgan" was still associated in people's minds with the Confederacy
, including Confederate Army General John Hunt Morgan. According to this version, after the preferred name was rejected the official wrote to federal authorities that if his choice of names could not be used, he preferred for the post office to be nameless. The Nameless post office was established in 1866 and operated until 1909.
At its peak, Nameless had a population of about 250. In addition to its post office, it was the site of a school and some stores. The two-room elementary school
operated until the 1960s. It housed "primer" through grade 4 in one room and grades 5 through 8 in a second room. The former J.T. Watts General Merchandise Store is now operated as a museum
.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
History
The community's unusual name has attracted attention from writers. There is no agreement on its origin. One version of the name's origin holds that when residents applied for a post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, the place for a name on the application was left blank, and the U.S. Post Office Department returned the application with "Nameless" stamped on the form. In the 1982 book Blue Highways: A Journey Into America
Blue Highways
Blue Highways is an autobiographical book by William Least Heat-Moon, born William Trogdon.In 1978, after separating from his wife and losing his job as a teacher, Moon, 38 at the time, decided to take an extended road trip around the United States, sticking to only the "Blue Highways." Heat-Moon...
, William Least Heat-Moon
William Least Heat-Moon
William Least Heat-Moon, the byname of William Lewis Trogdon is an American travel writer of English, Irish and Osage Nation ancestry. He is the author of a bestselling trilogy of topographical U.S. travel writing.-Biography:...
reported a variant explanation in which the residents themselves decided that the community should be "nameless" after one of them said "This here’s a nameless place if I ever seen one, so leave it be." Another variation of the story was provided in a 1933 article in the Jackson County Sentinel newspaper, which said that a local official had initially sought to name the post office "Morgan" for county attorney general George Morgan, but the Post Office Department had rejected that name, possibly because the name "Morgan" was still associated in people's minds with the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
, including Confederate Army General John Hunt Morgan. According to this version, after the preferred name was rejected the official wrote to federal authorities that if his choice of names could not be used, he preferred for the post office to be nameless. The Nameless post office was established in 1866 and operated until 1909.
At its peak, Nameless had a population of about 250. In addition to its post office, it was the site of a school and some stores. The two-room elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
operated until the 1960s. It housed "primer" through grade 4 in one room and grades 5 through 8 in a second room. The former J.T. Watts General Merchandise Store is now operated as a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
.