Wadesboro dates to 1783, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #46 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 81 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1797.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Wadesboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wadesboro is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #46 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wadesboro’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 Wadesboro’s 167 sits above most of its state (82% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 83 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.
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 (±4.7 points). Two sources give 1783.
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 Wadesboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Wadesboro, building by building, 1885–1922
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.
Originally named Newtown, the town was renamed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1787 in honor of Colonel Thomas Wade after his service with the Anson County Regiment of militia in the American Revolutionary War.
In 1900, astronomers determined that Wadesboro would be the best location in North America for viewing a total solar eclipse. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, then based in Washington, D.C., loaded several railroad cars with scientific equipment and headed to the town.
The Boggan-Hammond House and Alexander Little Wing, United States Post Office, and Wadesboro Downtown Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Wadesboro’s post office has been open since 1802. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Anson Court House
1797–1825
Wadesboro
1802–today
Russellville
1901–1901
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
RussellvilleSouth WadesboroWade Mills
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wadesboro
East ViewFlat Rock Church
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Wadesboro’s history
What year was Wadesboro founded?
In 1783, according to Wikidata. Wadesboro’s post office opened in 1797, and the census of 1850 counted 460 people here.
How does Wadesboro rank for history?
Wadesboro is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #46 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 Wadesboro?
4 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Boggan-Hammond House and Alexander Little Wing (listed 1972, the first), 1 historic district, the Wadesboro Downtown Historic District, with 81 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 83 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Wadesboro?
11% of Wadesboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (2), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1938
