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History · North

North’s post office opened in 1892

Most of North was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1946 on and the census since 1900.

1892first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Evanoco · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How North began

When was North founded?

1892

The North post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 368 in 19002020 census: 696134 years
Founding year: the first North post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about North’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 North are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,304 in 1980; 696 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start North’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North’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

North, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,304

Peaked at 1,304 in 1980; 696 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How North came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of North.

Read it all →

In 1891, the South Bound Railroad came through the area with the assistance of John F. North. In 1892, John North, along with George W. Pou and Sampson A. Livingston, donated 100 acres (40.5 ha) for the railway depot and townsite. A U.S. Post Office branch was also later established. The next year John North, a Confederate veteran and businessman, was elected the first mayor of his namesake town of North, South Carolina. The town has been noted for its unusual place name.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about North in 1839

Passages that mention North, cut from the printed page as they were published.

North and South Carolina were still more relieved in consequence of the settlement of Georgia. This latter province then became, instead of Carolina, the southern frontier of British America, and lay more exposed, of course, to the incursions of the Spaniards and Indians of Florida. As Georgia beco…
The early history of the southern states1839 · page 162Read the page →
Read the text

North and South Carolina were still more relieved in consequence of the settlement of Georgia. This latter province then became, instead of Carolina, the southern frontier of British America, and lay more exposed, of course, to the incursions of the Spaniards and Indians of Florida. As Georgia becomes, therefore, an important province at this time, I shall proceed to give you some sketches of

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

North, 1892 to 1991

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892Post officeThe North post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1927Born hereEartha Kitt is born here
  5. 1946On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1975Born hereChuck Darby is born here
  7. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,304
  8. 1991Born hereFreddie Martino is born here
By decade

North, decade by decade

Today3 recent
NorthSC2019NorthSCNorthWelcomeSign SC2011NorthWelcomeSign SCSCMap-doton-North2004SCMap-doton-North
On the map

North on the map, 1946 to 1988

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

North on the 1946 USGS mapNorth on the 1988 USGS map1946Woodford 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 North.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in North

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

See all →
Eartha KittAmerican singer and actress · b. 1927
Chuck DarbyPlayer of American football · b. 1975
Freddie MartinoAmerican football player · b. 1991

Questions about North’s history

What year was North founded?

The North post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (3), 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 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.