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History · Gatesville

Gatesville’s post office opened in 1831, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Gates County Courthouse, the Eure-Roberts House and the Reid's Grove School.

1831first post office
3on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Gatesville began

When was Gatesville founded?

1831

The Gatesville post office opened in 1831, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Gates Courthouse. (1804), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 267195 years
Founding year: the first Gatesville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Gatesville’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 Gatesville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Gatesville’s homes were built before 1947.Deep rootsA post office since 1831: 195 years of Gatesville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gatesville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gatesville’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
The story

How Gatesville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gatesville.

Read it all →

The area which presently encompasses Gatesville was originally known as Bennetts Creek Landing. From 1779 it was known as Gates Courthouse until its incorporation in 1830 as Gatesville, being named for Horatio Gates, a commander in the American Revolutionary War.

The Elmwood Plantation, Eure-Roberts House, Gates County Courthouse, Roberts-Carter House, Rountree Family Farm and Reid's Grove School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Gatesville, 1804 to 1952

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1804Post officeThe Gates Courthouse. post office opens
  3. 1831Post officeThe Gates Courthouse. post office closes
  4. 1831Post officeThe Gatesville post office opens
  5. 1833Born hereJoseph H. Beeman is born here
  6. 1849Born hereCharles W. Green is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1901BuiltEure-Roberts House is built
  9. 1905Born hereDelmar T. Spivey is born here
  10. 1927BuiltReid's Grove School is built
  11. 1952Born hereCalvin Earl is born here
By decade

Gatesville, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Old Gates County Courthouse, North Carolina2020Old Gates County Courthouse, North CarolinaGatesville, North Carolina2020Gatesville, North CarolinaGatesville post office 279382018Gatesville post office 27938Eure-Roberts House2018Eure-Roberts House
On the National Register

3 historic places in Gatesville

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Gates County Courthouse
Gates County CourthouseEure-Roberts House, built 1901Reid's Grove School, built 1927
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Federal1
Side Passage Double-Pile Plan House1
Late Victorian1
Queen Anne1
Rosenwald School1
Gates County CourthouseFederal
Eure-Roberts HouseSide Passage Double-Pile Plan House · Built 1901
Reid's Grove SchoolRosenwald School · Built 1927

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Gatesville

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

See all →
Calvin EarlAmerican musician · b. 1952
J
Joseph H. BeemanAmerican politician · b. 1833
D
Delmar T. SpiveyAmerican general · b. 1905
C
Charles W. GreenAmerican teacher of agriculture (c.1849–1926) · b. 1849
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Gatesville’s post office has been open since 1831. Another post office, Gates Courthouse., opened and closed inside today’s town.

Gates Courthouse.
1804–1831
Gatesville
1831–today
18001910today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Gatesville
CowperGatesville

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

Questions about Gatesville’s history

What year was Gatesville founded?

The Gatesville post office opened in 1831, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Gatesville?

Three places: the Gates County Courthouse (listed 1976), the Eure-Roberts House (2006) and the Reid's Grove School (2011).

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 (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.