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History · Severn

Severn dates to 1833, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1920 on and the census since 1920.

1833founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Severn began

When was Severn founded?

1833

Severn dates its founding to 1833 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 284 in 19202020 census: 191193 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓

What stands out about Severn’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 Severn are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 356 in 1970; 191 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19204 editions of the USGS map, 1920 to 1997. Watch Severn change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1833: 193 years of Severn.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Severn’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Severn’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
People over time

Severn, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 356

Peaked at 356 in 1970; 191 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

On the map

Severn on the map, 1920 to 1997

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

Severn on the 1920 USGS mapSevern on the 1966 USGS mapSevern on the 1979 USGS mapSevern on the 1997 USGS map1920Boykins 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 Severn.

The story

How Severn came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Severn.

Read it all →

The community was settled in about 1833 and named Meherrin after a local Native American tribe. In 1887 a branch rail line was built through Meherrin. It was incorporated in 1919 and named for Severn Ayers, a stockholder of the Seaboard Airline Railroad.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Severn, 1833 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1833
    FoundingSevern is established
  3. 1886Post officeThe Meherrin post office opens
  4. 1889Post officeThe Severn post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1907Post officeThe Meherrin post office closes
  7. 1920On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 356
By decade

Severn, decade by decade

Today7 recent
U.S. Post Office in Severn 022024U.S. Post Office in Severn 02U.S. Post Office in Severn 012024U.S. Post Office in Severn 01Severn, North Carolina 022024Severn, North Carolina 02Severn, North Carolina 012024Severn, North Carolina 01Severn Peanut Company facility2024Severn Peanut Company facilityMeherrin Corporate Headquarters2024Meherrin Corporate HeadquartersNCMap-doton-Severn2004NCMap-doton-Severn
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Severn’s post office has been open since 1889. Another post office, Meherrin, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Meherrin
1886–1907
Severn
1889–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Severn’s history

What year was Severn founded?

In 1833, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Severn’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1920 counted 284 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (7), Wikipedia, 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.