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History · Boones Mill

Boones Mill dates to 1927, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 52 buildings. Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1930.

1927founded
2on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Boones Mill began

When was Boones Mill founded?

1927

Boones Mill dates its founding to 1927 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 352 in 19302020 census: 25999 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓

What stands out about Boones Mill’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 Boones Mill are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Boones Mill Historic District takes in 52 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Boones Mill’s homes were built before 1946.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Boones Mill’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Boones Mill’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the National Register

2 listings protect 53 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
53
each building in a district counts
first listed
2014
Boones Mill Historic District
Boones Mill Historic DistrictBoones Mill Depot
BuildingsDistricts
Boones Mill Historic DistrictDistrict
Boones Mill DepotBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Boones Mill came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Boones Mill.

Read it all →

Boones Mill was incorporated in 1927. It was previously known as "Boone Mill" and "Boon Mill". The town is named after Jacob Boon who operated a mill in the town.

The Boones Mill Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nearby historic sites include Bowman Farm, Cahas Mountain Rural Historic District, Jubal A. Early House, and Piedmont Mill Historic District.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Boones Mill, 1828 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1828Post officeThe Boon Mill post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1927
    FoundingBoones Mill is established
  5. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1970Born hereLewis Preston is born here
By decade

Boones Mill, decade by decade

Today4 recent
ViewOfBoonesMill2019ViewOfBoonesMillBoones Mill2018Boones MillVAMap-doton-BoonesMill2005VAMap-doton-BoonesMillBoones Mill, Virginia2005Boones Mill, Virginia
On the map

Boones Mill on the map, 1951 to 1978

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

Boones Mill on the 1951 USGS mapBoones Mill on the 1963 USGS mapBoones Mill on the 1978 USGS map1951Boones Mill 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 Boones Mill.

People over time

Boones Mill, census by census

010020030040019401960198020002020Peak: 377

Between 239 and 377 people in every census since 1930.

9 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Questions about Boones Mill’s history

What year was Boones Mill founded?

In 1927, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Boones Mill’s post office opened in 1828, and the census of 1930 counted 352 people here.

What is on the National Register in Boones Mill?

Two places: the Boones Mill Historic District (listed 2014) and the Boones Mill Depot (2017).

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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.