This article lists the oldest extant buildings in Tennessee, including extant buildings and structures constructed prior to and during the United States rule over Tennessee. Only buildings built prior to 1800 are suitable for inclusion on this list, or the building must be the oldest of its type.
In order to qualify for the list, a structure must:
This consciously excludes ruins of limited height, roads and statues. Bridges may be included if they otherwise fulfill the above criteria. Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating or dendrochronology and should be considered approximate. If the exact year of initial construction is estimated, it will be shown as a range of dates.
| Building | Image | Location | First built | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Meadow | Surgoinsville | 1762-64 | Residence | Original log structure is within the walls of current home | |
| Carter Mansion at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area | Elizabethton | 1775-80 | Residence | Oldest frame house in Tennessee[1] | |
| Robert Young Cabin | Johnson City | 1776 | Residence | Relocated to Optimist Park in 1978, moved to Winged Deer Park in 1996 | |
| Christopher Taylor House | Jonesborough | 1777 | Residence | In 1974, the house was moved intact to downtown Jonesborough to save it from demolition. | |
| Dungan's Mill and Stone House | Watauga | 1778 | Residence, Mill | The mill, later known as St. John, operated continuously from 1778 until 2011. | |
| Yancey's Tavern | Kingsport | 1779 | Tavern | ||
| Earnest Fort House | Chuckey | 1779-84 | Residence | ||
| Amis House | Rogersville | 1781-83 | Residence | Oldest dam in Tennessee is on Big Creek below the house | |
| Sinking Creek Baptist Church | Johnson City | 1783 | Church | Log church | |
| Tipton-Haynes House | Johnson City | 1784 | Residence | Part of Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site | |
| Rock Castle (Hendersonville, Tennessee) | Hendersonville | 1784-1791 | Residence | earliest known version of Federal Style architecture in Tennessee. | |
| Dixona | Dixon Springs | 1787-88 | Residence | ||
| Bowen–Campbell House | Goodlettsville | 1789 | Residence | ||
| Log Cabin at The Tanglewood House | Clarksville | 1790s | Residence | Purportedly the oldest log cabin in TN | |
| William Blount Mansion | Knoxville | 1792 | Residence | ||
| Buckingham House (Sevierville, Tennessee) | Sevierville | 1795 | Residence | Home of military leader John Sevier | |
| Big Spring Union Church | Claiborne County | 1795 | Church | Log church, one of oldest church buildings in TN | |
| Chester Inn | Jonesborough | 1797 | Inn | Now operating as a state-owned museum | |
| Travellers Rest (Nashville, Tennessee) | Nashville | 1799 | Residence | Oldest home in Nashville open to the public.[2] | |