History · Biscoe

Biscoe dates to 1895, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 30% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1910.

1895founded

0on the National Register

13%homes built before 1940

1famous people

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Quick answers

How Biscoe began

When was Biscoe founded?

1895

Biscoe dates its founding to 1895 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 697 in 19102020 census: 1,848131 years

How historic is Biscoe?

More historic than 30% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Biscoe’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Biscoe is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Biscoe’s overall grade.

Founding era1895, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC⁺Homes built before 194012.6% of homes (±7.6) · typical NC town 4.1% · U.S. 8.4%B⁻National RegisterNo listings counted · typical NC town 12.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C⁻

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 30%

NewerOlder

North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Biscoe’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.6 points). Two sources give 1895.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Biscoe’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 Biscoe are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Biscoe’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

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

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The story

How Biscoe came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Biscoe.

Read it all →

The area was formerly called "Filo". The current name was adopted in 1895.

Biscoe's past was dependent on the railroad industry, and it was once an important repair center for railroad equipment. The Aberdeen and West End Railroad (owned by the Page family of Aberdeen, North Carolina) completed a branch to Star from Filo (current Biscoe) in 1895. The A & W. E. R.R. was merged into the Aberdeen and Asheboro Railroad in 1897.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Biscoe, 1888 to 1957

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

19th century
1888Post officeThe Filo post office opens
1895
FoundingBiscoe is established
1897Post officeThe Filo post office closes
1897Post officeThe Biscoe post office opens
20th century
1951Born hereLarry Kissell is born here
1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.

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On the map

Biscoe on the map, 1957 to 1994

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

1957Troy sheet · 1:62,500

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

People over time

Biscoe, census by census

Grew from 697 people in 1910 to 1,848 in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Biscoe’s post office has been open since 1897. Another post office, Filo, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Filo

1888–1897

Biscoe

1897–today

18801950today

2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Biscoe

BiscoeGillis

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

Questions about Biscoe’s history

What year was Biscoe founded?

In 1895, according to Wikidata. Biscoe’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1910 counted 697 people here.

How does Biscoe rank for history?

Biscoe is more historic than 30% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Biscoe?

13% of Biscoe’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.6 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1977.

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).

From 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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