Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to McVille

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · McVille

McVille’s post office opened in 1887, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1942 on and the census since 1910.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: In memoriam afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How McVille began

When was McVille founded?

1887

The McVille post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1906.

First census: 310 in 19102020 census: 392139 years
Founding year: the first McVille post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1906.The full story ↓

What stands out about McVille’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 McVille are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 626 in 1950; 392 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start McVille’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how McVille’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

McVille, census by census

0100200300400500600700192019401960198020002020Peak: 626

Peaked at 626 in 1950; 392 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How McVille came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of McVille.

Read it all →

McVille was founded in 1906 after the railroad was established as a continuation from Aneta, North Dakota. McVille was founded by the McDougall family. The town was so named because many of the early residents in the area had last names starting with "Mc".

The original town was a few miles away from its present location. With the advancement of the railroad system, the town was moved.

Prominent early businesses included an elevator, a bank, a blacksmith shop, and a general store.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

McVille, 1887 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe McVille post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1908Born hereStu MacMillan is born here
  5. 1942On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 626
By decade

McVille, decade by decade

Today18 recent
McVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaMcVille, North Dakota2009McVille, North DakotaParade2008ParadeMcVille, ND 582542008McVille, ND 58254NDMap-doton-McVille2004NDMap-doton-McVille
On the map

McVille on the map, 1942 to 1961

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

McVille on the 1942 USGS mapMcVille on the 1961 USGS map1942McVille 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 McVille.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Nesheim Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHamlin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about McVille’s history

What year was McVille founded?

The McVille post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1906.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (18), 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.