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History · Greenville

Greenville’s post office opened in 1828, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

8 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 206 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1992 on.

1828first post office
8on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Greenville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Greenville began

When was Greenville founded?

1828

The Greenville post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 794198 years
Founding year: the first Greenville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).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 historic districtThe Greenville Historic District takes in 206 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register8 places on the National Register.Deep rootsA post office since 1828: 198 years of Greenville.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

8 listings protect 224 historic buildings

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

places listed
8
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
224
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Meriwether County Courthouse
Meriwether County CourthouseMeriwether County JailWarner-Hill HouseTwin OaksBurwell O. Hill HouseRender Family HomesteadGreenville Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Neo-Colonial1
Georgian Revival1
Italian Villa1
Late Victorian1
Neo-Classical1
Meriwether County CourthouseNeo-Colonial
Meriwether County JailItalian Villa
Warner-Hill HouseGreek Revival
Twin OaksGreek Revival
Burwell O. Hill HouseLate Victorian
Render Family HomesteadPlantation Plain Style
Greenville Historic DistrictGreek Revival
Greenville Presbyterian Church and CemeteryRural Vernacular

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

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
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMeriwether County Georgia Courthouse: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Greenville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Greenville.

Read it all →

Greenville was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Meriwether County. The city was named for Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the rebel American forces at the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Greenville, 1828 to 1996

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1828Post officeThe Greenville post office opens
  3. 1861Born hereJoseph M. Terrell is born here
  4. 1890Born hereY. Frank Freeman is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1992In the archiveMeriwether County Georgia Courthouse
  7. 1992Born hereMario Alford is born here
  8. 1996Born hereJontavious Willis is born here
By decade

Greenville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Meriwether County Georgia Courthouse1992Meriwether County Georgia Courthouse
Today5 recent
Champinole;2013Champinole;Meriwether County Jail2012Meriwether County JailGreenville Historic District2012Greenville Historic DistrictChampinole2012ChampinoleReading by the River2009Reading by the River
Famous people

7 famous people were born in Greenville

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

See all →
Joseph M. TerrellAmerican politician · b. 1861
Y. Frank FreemanAmerican film studio executive · b. 1890
Jontavious WillisAmerican blues singer and songwriter · b. 1996
Mario AlfordAmerican gridiron football player · b. 1992
R
Robert BrownAmerican politician from Georgia · b. 1950
E
Eli RobinsonJazz musician · b. 1908

Questions about Greenville’s history

What year was Greenville founded?

The Greenville post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Greenville?

8 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Meriwether County Courthouse (listed 1973, the first), and 1 historic district, the Greenville Historic District, with 206 contributing buildings. 224 historic buildings in all.

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.