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History · Nelsonia

Nelsonia’s post office opened in 1885, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1942 on.

1885first post office
0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Pi.1415926535 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Nelsonia began

When was Nelsonia founded?

1885

The Nelsonia post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 451141 years
Founding year: the first Nelsonia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Nelsonia’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 Nelsonia are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nelsonia’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nelsonia’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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The story so far

Nelsonia, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Nelsonia yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Nelsonia is a census-designated place (CDP) in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 451.

Its first post office opened in 1885. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 523 to 451 (-14%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Nelsonia, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Sunoco station2018Sunoco station2017-07-12 08 04 14 View west along Virginia State Route 187 (Nelsonia Road) at U.S. Route 13 (Lankford Highway) in20172017-07-12 08 04 14 View west along Virginia State Ro…2017-07-12 07 59 18 View east along Virginia State Route 187 (Nelsonia Road) at Deer Drive in20172017-07-12 07 59 18 View east along Virginia State Ro…US Post Office, Nelsonia, VA, August 20142014US Post Office, Nelsonia, VA, August 2014US Route 13 092505 9872007US Route 13 092505 987US Route 13 092505 9742007US Route 13 092505 974US Route 13 092505 10622007US Route 13 092505 1062
On the map

Nelsonia on the map, 1942 to 1979

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

Nelsonia on the 1942 USGS mapNelsonia on the 1968 USGS mapNelsonia on the 1979 USGS map1942Mappsville sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Nelsonia.

Famous people

Famous people close to Nelsonia

Nobody well known was born in Nelsonia itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Henry A. WiseUnited States Congressman and governor of Virgi… · b. 1806
Charles I. StengleAmerican politician · b. 1869
Thomas H. B. BrowneAmerican politician · b. 1844
Edward Southey JoynesAmerican scholar · b. 1834
J
Josh NolzAmerican soccer player · b. 1980
B
Barbara Bohannan-SheppardAmerican politician · b. 1950
Places that used to be

Old corners

Nelsonia’s post office has been open since 1885.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Macedonia

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

BloxomIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGargathaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Nelsonia’s history

What year was Nelsonia founded?

The Nelsonia post office opened in 1885, 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 →
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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 (7), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.