Altamont, Tennessee
town in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States of America
Altamont is a town in and the county seat of Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,117 at the 2020 census.
History
Altamont was established in 1848 as a county seat for Grundy County, which had been created in 1844. General Adrian Northcutt, a prominent local farmer and military officer, was the prime advocate for the site's selection. The town's name comes from combining alto (meaning "altitude") and mont (meaning "mountain"). Although the Civil War somewhat stunted the town's growth, by 1870 Altamont's population had grown to 217.
Altamont has one of the oldest Mormon congregations in the southeastern United States. The congregation was formed in the 1890s, and a Mormon chapel was built in Northcutt Cove just north of Altamont in 1909. Shortly thereafter, several members of the congregation migrated to Altamont. A Mormon chapel was completed along Main Street in 1947, and a newer chapel was completed just off Viola Road in 1981.
The public source identifies “Altamont, Tennessee” as town in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States of America. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Altamont, Tennessee and town.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Altamont, Tennessee”, the useful work is to connect “town in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States of America” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1860352. VIAF identifies the subject as 263480638. The Library of Congress control number is n98048139. Authority coordinates are 35.434, -85.732. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1848, 1844 and 1870.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Altamont, Tennessee”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Altamont, Tennessee primary sources, Altamont, Tennessee archive and Altamont research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Altamont, Tennessee”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Altamont, Tennessee” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.