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History · Greenville

Greenville dates to 1850, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Bishop-Andrews Hotel. Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1910.

1850founded

1on the National Register

18%homes built before 1940

2famous people

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Quick answers

How Greenville began

When was Greenville founded?

1850

Greenville dates its founding to 1850 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 751 in 19102020 census: 746176 years

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1876.The full story ↓

What stands out about Greenville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Greenville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,318 in 1960; 746 people lived here in 2020.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Greenville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Greenville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

People over time

Greenville, census by census

Peaked at 1,318 in 1960; 746 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Greenville’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Greenville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Greenville.

Read it all →

Greenville was first settled in 1850. It was originally known as "Sandy Ford", and during the American Civil War it was renamed "Station Five" for its location along the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad. It was officially incorporated in 1907, and named the "Town of Greenville" because during the US civil war, the women's sewing circle in the community helped sew for Confederate soldiers and after the civil war, the postmaster and residents decided to name it after the birthplace of Mrs. U.M. Roberts, the sewing circle's president: Greenville, North Carolina. Ray Charles lived with his mother in Greenville. There is a statue of him in Greenville Park.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Greenville, 1850 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1850
FoundingGreenville is established
1876Post officeThe Greenville post office opens
20th century
1902BuiltBishop-Andrews Hotel is built
1918Born hereArchie Ware is born here
1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,318
1990Born hereChris Thompson is born here

By decade

Greenville, decade by decade

Today3 recent

2014Water tower

2014United 500 gas station sign

2004FLMap-doton-Greenville

On the map

Greenville on the map, 1954 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Greenville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1954Greenville sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Greenville.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Greenville

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1990

Bishop-Andrews Hotel

Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian1

Queen Anne1

Bishop-Andrews HotelLate Victorian · Built 1902

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Greenville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

Chris ThompsonAmerican football player · b. 1990

Archie WareAmerican baseball player · b. 1918

Places that used to be

Old corners

Greenville’s post office has been open since 1876.

Hamlets and corners on the map

Stern

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Greenville’s history

What year was Greenville founded?

In 1850, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Greenville’s post office opened in 1876, and the census of 1910 counted 751 people here.

What is on the National Register in Greenville?

One place: the Bishop-Andrews Hotel (listed 1990).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Start a conversation

Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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