Elizabethtown dates to 1773, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #96 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Elizabethtown was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1955 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1793.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Elizabethtown’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elizabethtown is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #96 of 290 in North Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elizabethtown’s overall grade.
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 Elizabethtown’s 12.2 sits near the middle of its state (54% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1773.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Elizabethtown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The earliest known inhabitants of the region were the Waccamaw, a Native American tribe that lived along rivers such as the Cape Fear. Following the removal of native tribes in the region during the Tuscarora and Yamasee wars, the North Carolina General Assembly established Bladen Precinct (later Bladen County) in 1734 to govern the land west of New Hanover Precinct. The newly formed county soon experienced an influx of Highland Scots immigrants, who were encouraged to settle the region by Royal Governor Gabriel Johnston through multi-year tax exemptions. The Scottish constructed small farms and homes along the river basins, harvesting and trading naval stores such as pine tar and turpentine using the river. A courthouse was built in 1738 in a settlement named Elizabeth, located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) upstream from the modern town, surrounded by farms and plantations. A fire in the late 176…
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elizabethtown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewDETAIL VIEW OF ABUTMENT, HIP JOINT - McGirt's Bridge, Spanning Cape Fear River, 1968
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Elizabethtown’s page.
In 1773, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Elizabethtown’s post office opened in 1793, and the census of 1870 counted 62 people here.
How does Elizabethtown rank for history?
Elizabethtown is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #96 of 290 in North Carolina. 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.
What is on the National Register in Elizabethtown?
Two places: the Trinity Methodist Church (listed 1989) and the Bladen County Training School (2018).
How old are the homes in Elizabethtown?
1% of Elizabethtown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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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