Greenville dates to 1786, and 16 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 67% of U.S. towns · #88 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Greenville was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 16 places in town are on the National Register, among them five historic districts with 715 buildings between them. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1794.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Greenville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Greenville is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #88 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Greenville’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 Greenville’s 78.8 sits above most of its state (72% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 732 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1786.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size.
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 Greenville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Greenville formed in 1771 as "Martinsborough", named after the Royal Governor Josiah Martin. In 1774 the town was moved to its present location on the south bank of the Tar River, three miles (4.8 km) west of its original site. In 1786, the name was changed to Greenesville in honor of General Nathanael Greene, the American Revolutionary War hero. It was later shortened to Greenville.
Passages that mention Greenville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The Growth of one hundred years1930 · page 11Read the page →
Read the text
which, after an amendment by W. H. Moore, was adopted : Resolution of Thanks Resolved, That the warm appreciation and hearty thanks of the Baptist State Convention, in its Centennial Session at Greenville, be extended to the Memorial Baptist Church for arranging for the sessions of our Convention and providing for our delightful entertainment ; To the other churches and the citizens of Greenville, for extend-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Greenville, 1786 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 Greenville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1903Winterville 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 Greenville.
Every building
Greenville, building by building, 1885–1923
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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 view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - North Carolina - Pitt County - Greenville - ED 74-34, ED 74-35, ED 74-36, ED 74…, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Greenville’s page.
In 1786, according to Wikidata. Greenville’s post office opened in 1794, and the census of 1850 counted 1,893 people here.
How does Greenville rank for history?
Greenville is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #88 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 Greenville?
16 listings: 11 buildings, among them the Pitt County Courthouse (listed 1979, the first), and 5 historic districts with 715 contributing buildings. 732 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Greenville?
2% of Greenville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (5), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (16), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1910
1910
1912
1999
