History

Greenfield is located in Weakley County in the northwest section of Tennessee, 25 miles from the Kentucky state line. The history of Greenfield goes back to the laying of the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad track in 1873.

The huge fields of green wheat inspired the engineer of the first train to give the town its name. The first dwellings were built in 1874 by John W. and James W. Ward. The first post office was established in the same year.

The population in 1873 was 150 and has increased to 2,190 in 1990.

​According to Goodspead Publishers, Greenfield was incorporated November 9, 1880.

The land around Greenfield is rolling, with an average elevation above mean sea level of 433 feet. Greenfield is situated on US Highway 45E at the intersection of State Highway 54 and 124.
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Greenfield is now the home of the Big Cypress Tree State Natural Area. Big Cypress Tree was created by the Natural Area Preservation Act of 1971, and was designated on June 20, 1973, making it the state’s first natural area. The area is named for a champion bald cypress tree that is located on the northeast portion of the natural area. the tree was once the largest bald cypress tree in the United States and is the largest tree of any species east of the Mississippi.