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Buncombe

Ghost town · Franklin County, Tennessee

Capitol Hill quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1936, 1:24,000)
Capitol Hill quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1936, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Buncombe is a ghost town in Franklin County, Tennessee. It is one of 3 former communities in Franklin County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 62nd among the 86 Tennessee counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Buncombe as a historical populated place on the Capitol Hill topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 35.3251° N, 86.0833° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleCapitol Hill
Elevation993 ft
Nearest living townEstill Springs, TN
Distance to it5.4 miles
GNIS feature ID1311181
Coordinates35.32508, -86.08332

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Buncombe is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Estill Springs, TN (population 2,008), about 5.4 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 993 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Buncombe?

Buncombe is in Franklin County, Tennessee, at 35.3251, -86.0833.

How many ghost towns are in Franklin County?

Franklin County, Tennessee has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.