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A−History
History · Randleman

Randleman dates to 1830, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #38 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Randleman Graded School and the St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church South. Its Register listings are the Randleman Graded School and the St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church South. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1970 on, and the census since 1880.

1830founded
2on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Randleman’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Randleman began

When was Randleman founded?

1830

Randleman dates its founding to 1830 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,027 in 18802020 census: 4,595196 years

How historic is Randleman?

A−

More historic than 83% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1881.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Randleman’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Randleman is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #38 of 290 in North Carolina. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Randleman’s overall grade.
Founding era1830, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194029.9% of homes (±12.3) · typical NC town 4.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register2 listings, 4.3 per 10,000 residents · typical NC town 12.5 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 83%
NewerOlder
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 87%

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 Randleman’s 4.3 sits near the middle of its state (46% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1830.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.3 points).

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 Randleman’s past

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

Deep rootsEstablished in 1830: 196 years of Randleman.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Randleman, 1830 to 1987

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830
    FoundingRandleman is established
  3. 1879BuiltSt. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church South is built
  4. 1881Post officeThe Randleman post office opens
  5. 1882Post officeThe Worthville post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1908In the archiveGraded School, Randleman, N.C., ca. 1908
  8. 1913In the archiveLewis Hine, Ruth Rous, age 11 or less, cotton mill worker, Randleman, North Carolina, 1913
  9. 1950Born hereJoe Millikan is born here
  10. 1964Post officeThe Worthville post office closes
  11. 1966Born hereAntonio Goss is born here
  12. 1970On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1975Born hereNathan Buttke is born here
  14. 1987Born hereBrian Canter is born here
The story

How Randleman came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Randleman.

Read it all →

The town was originally named Dicks for Rick Dicks, who built a mill there circa 1830. Later, a cotton mill was built in Dicks, and the town was renamed Union Factory.

Randleman was the next name chosen, in 1866. The town's namesake was John B. Randleman, a mill owner. The town was incorporated as Randleman Mills in 1880; the name was later changed to Randleman.

William Dennis Pottery Kiln and House Site and Randleman Graded School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Randleman, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1910s8 items
Graded School, Randleman, N.C., ca. 19081908Graded School, Randleman, N.C., ca. 1908Lewis Hine, Ruth Rous, age 11 or less, cotton mill worker, Randleman, North Carolina, 19131913Lewis Hine, Ruth Rous, age 11 or less, cotton mill wo…One of the youngest boys I found working in the Naomi Mill apparently 10 yrs old. There were two others about as young.…1913One of the youngest boys I found working in the Naomi…Charley Humble. Said he was 10 years old. Has a regular job. Been helping his sister for some months in the Deep River …1913Charley Humble. Said he was 10 years old. Has a regul…John Holland. Said he was 10 years old. Has had a regular job for some months rolling bobbins in the Deep River Mill. B…1913John Holland. Said he was 10 years old. Has had a reg…Ruth Rous. She said she was 11 yrs old, but others there said she was not 10. She has a regular job, and several sister…1913Ruth Rous. She said she was 11 yrs old, but others th…Deep River Mills, Randleman 21917Deep River Mills, Randleman 2Deep River Mills1917Deep River Mills
1920s–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
Today8 recent
Randleman, North Carolina2019Randleman, North CarolinaRandleman Graded School in Randleman NC West Side View2019Randleman Graded School in Randleman NC West Side ViewRandleman Graded School West Wing Street View2019Randleman Graded School West Wing Street ViewRandleman Graded School Front Entrance2019Randleman Graded School Front EntranceRandleman Graded School Front Entrance View2019Randleman Graded School Front Entrance ViewUS 311 End-Randleman2014US 311 End-RandlemanGeorge W. Bush at Victory Junction Gang Camp - Randleman, N.C. with NASCAR drivers2006George W. Bush at Victory Junction Gang Camp - Randle…NCMap-doton-Randleman2004NCMap-doton-Randleman
On the map

Randleman on the map, 1970 to 1981

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

Randleman on the 1970 USGS mapRandleman on the 1981 USGS map1970Randleman 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 Randleman.

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.

Graded School, Randleman, N.C., ca. 1908
Retake this viewGraded School, Randleman, N.C., ca. 1908, 1908

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Randleman

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2005
Randleman Graded School
Randleman Graded SchoolSt. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church South, built 1879
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th Century Revival1
Late 20th Century Revival1
Randleman Graded SchoolLate 19th Century Revival
St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church SouthBuilt 1879

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

People over time

Randleman, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,000188019001920194019601980200020204,595

Grew from 1,027 people in 1880 to 4,595 in 2020, 4 times over.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Randleman

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

See all →
A
Antonio GossAmerican football player · b. 1966
Brian CanterAmerican rodeo performer · b. 1987
J
Joe MillikanFormer NASCAR driver · b. 1950
N
Nathan ButtkeAmerican stock car racing driver · b. 1975
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Randleman’s post office has been open since 1881. Another post office, Worthville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Randleman
1881–today
Worthville
1882–1964
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
DayspringWorthville

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

Help out

Finish Randleman’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGraded School, Randleman, N.C., ca. 1908: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Asheboro6 historic placesB+

Questions about Randleman’s history

What year was Randleman founded?

In 1830, according to Wikidata. Randleman’s post office opened in 1881, and the census of 1880 counted 1,027 people here.

How does Randleman rank for history?

Randleman is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #38 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 Randleman?

Two places: the Randleman Graded School (listed 2005) and the St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church South (2015).

How old are the homes in Randleman?

30% of Randleman’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.3 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1981.

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 Wikimedia Commons (12), the Library of Congress (4), 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.