Tarboro dates to 1760, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #7 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
16 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Coolmore Plantation, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 372 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1810.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1793.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Tarboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tarboro is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #7 of 290 in North Carolina. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tarboro’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 Tarboro’s 364 sits above most of its state (92% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 392 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points). Two sources give 1760.
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 Tarboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Created in 1760, Tarboro is the ninth-oldest incorporated town in North Carolina. Situated on the Tar River at the fall line in the Piedmont, the town served the area as an important colonial river port. It was a thriving trade center until the Civil War.
Scholars believe that the area around Tarboro was settled by 1733, but Edward Moseley's map of that year indicates only Tuscarora Native Americans, an Iroquoian-language speaking group. By 1750, the area was widely known as "Tawboro", a name attributed to Taw, the Tuscaroran word for "river of health".
Passages that mention Tarboro, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Edgecombe county, North Carolina1920 · page 354Read the page →
Read the text
354 History of Edgecombe County Although there was considerable talk, and mention is made of the Tarboro and Hamilton Railroad in 1831, of the Tarboro and Enfield Railroad of 1852, and the Tarboro and Rocky Mount of 1852, the first railroad having its origin in the county dates from 1859. The Tarboro and Enfield Railroad was incorporated in 1852 and the Williamston and Tarboro road in 1853.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Edgecombe county, North Carolina1920 · page 440Read the page →
Read the text
It was reasonable to believe that the people had services at stated periods. The Revei'end Thomas Burgess, who had become minister of Edgecombe Parish, Halifax County, in October, 1759, was too near the people in the vicinity of Tarboro not to have paid them at least an annual visit. The fact that he had identified himself with the material interests of the town of Tarboro by purchasing a lot when the town was laid off in 1760, gives reason to believe the existence of his spiritual interest in the people.
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
Tarboro, 1760 to 1994
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 Tarboro. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Tarboro 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 Tarboro.
Every building
Tarboro, building by building, 1884–1923
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.
1884Sheet 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 - Edgecombe County - Tarboro - ED 33-2, ED 33-3, ED 33-4, ED 33-…, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Tarboro’s page.
In 1760, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Tarboro’s post office opened in 1793, and the census of 1810 counted 523 people here.
How does Tarboro rank for history?
Tarboro is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #7 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 Tarboro?
16 listings: 12 buildings, among them the Coolmore Plantation (a National Historic Landmark since 1978), 2 historic districts, the Tarboro Historic District and the Lone Pine, with 372 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 1 structure. 392 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Tarboro?
11% of Tarboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (5), 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.
★ Landmark
1880
