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History · Faison

Faison’s post office opened in 1883, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Faison was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 116 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1975 on, and the census since 1890.

1883first post office
2on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Faison’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Faison began

When was Faison founded?

1883

The Faison post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Faison's Depot (1838), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 256 in 18902020 census: 784143 years
Founding year: the first Faison post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Faison’s past

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

A historic districtThe Faison Historic District takes in 116 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 116 historic buildings

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
116
each building in a district counts
first listed
1997
Faison Historic District
Faison Historic DistrictFaison Cemetery
DistrictsSites

Architectural styles listings

Italianate1
Queen Anne1
Greek Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Commercial Style1
All 2 listings
Faison Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1997Faison CemeterySite · listed 2006

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

Help out

Start Faison’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Faison’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 viewJim Hunt observing tornado damage in: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Faison came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Faison.

Read it all →

Faison was originally called "Faison's Depot", and under the latter name was founded around 1833. The town was named for Henry Faison, the original owner of the town site. A post office has been in operation at Faison since 1838.

The Faison Cemetery, Faison Historic District, Buckner Hill House, and John Wesley Mallard House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Faison, 1838 to 1984

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1838Post officeThe Faison's Depot post office opens
  3. 1869Born hereJohn Sprunt Hill is born here
  4. 1883Post officeThe Faison's Depot post office closes
  5. 1883Post officeThe Faison post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1903Born hereJames W. Blanchard is born here
  8. 1929Born hereWilliam E. Thornton is born here
  9. 1931Born hereBetty Ray McCain is born here
  10. 1975On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1984In the archiveJim Hunt observing tornado damage in
By decade

Faison, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s1 item
Jim Hunt observing tornado damage in1984Jim Hunt observing tornado damage in
1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
John Wesley Mallard House2020John Wesley Mallard HouseFaison Cemetery2020Faison CemeteryFaison, North Carolina2019Faison, North CarolinaMay 20142014May 2014NCMap-doton-Faison2004NCMap-doton-Faison
On the map

Faison on the map, 1975 to 1997

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

Faison on the 1975 USGS mapFaison on the 1986 USGS mapFaison on the 1997 USGS map1975Faison 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 Faison.

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.

Jim Hunt observing tornado damage in
Retake this viewJim Hunt observing tornado damage in, 1984

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Faison’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Faison, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 961

Between 256 and 961 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Faison

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

See all →
William E. ThorntonAmerican astronaut · b. 1929
John Sprunt HillAmerican private banker and politician, North C… · b. 1869
B
Betty Ray McCainAmerican politician · b. 1931
J
James W. BlanchardAmerican submarine commander · b. 1903
M
Marsh WilliamsMajor League Baseball pitcher · b. 1893
Samson L. FaisonAmerican general · b. 1860
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Faison’s post office has been open since 1883. Another post office, Faison's Depot, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Faison's Depot
1838–1883
Faison
1883–today
18301930today

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

Questions about Faison’s history

What year was Faison founded?

The Faison post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Faison?

Two places: the Faison Historic District (listed 1997) and the Faison Cemetery (2006).

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 (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.