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A−History
History · Rocky Mount

Rocky Mount dates to 1786, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #31 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 211 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.

1786founded
5on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Rocky Mount’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Rocky Mount began

When was Rocky Mount founded?

1786

Rocky Mount dates its founding to 1786 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 315 in 18802020 census: 4,903240 years

How historic is Rocky Mount?

A−

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1795.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Rocky Mount’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rocky Mount is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #31 of 253 in Virginia. 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 Rocky Mount’s overall grade.
Founding era1786, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194010.3% of homes (±5.3) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register5 listings, 215 historic buildings, 434 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 84%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 88%

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Rocky Mount’s 434 sits above most of its state (88% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 215 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1786.
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 (±5.3 points).

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 Rocky Mount’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Rocky Mount Historic District takes in 211 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1922, drew every building in Rocky Mount.Deep rootsEstablished in 1786: 240 years of Rocky Mount.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

5 listings protect 215 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
215
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Washington Iron Furnace
Washington Iron FurnaceWoods-Meade HouseFarm, TheGreer HouseRocky Mount Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival3
Vernacular1
Gothic Revival1
Queen Anne1
Colonial Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Washington Iron FurnaceStructure
Woods-Meade HouseVernacular
Farm, TheGreek Revival
Greer HouseGreek Revival
Rocky Mount Historic DistrictGreek Revival

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

Help out

Start Rocky Mount’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rocky Mount’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo3 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewMount Pleasant: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Rocky Mount, building by building, 1893–1922

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.

Rocky Mount fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 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.

The story

How Rocky Mount came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rocky Mount.

Read it all →

Robert Hill built a block house (fortified residence and trading post) in the 1740s, for trading with Native Americans. English settlers did not arrive until 1760. They named Rocky Mount for a steep cliff near the town. The area originally consisted of two adjacent villages, Rocky Mount and Mount Pleasant.

Washington Iron Furnace was built by James Callaway and Jeremiah Early; its site was on what is now Main Street. It was operated by Callaway's heirs and Peter Saunders until 1850, when it was damaged by a flood. Repairs and rebuilding were stopped by the breakout of Civil War.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Rocky Mount, 1786 to 1994

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1786
    FoundingRocky Mount is established
  3. 1795Post officeThe Rocky Mount post office opens
  4. 19th century
  5. 1885Born hereLillie Barbour is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1956Born hereDwaine Board is born here
  8. 1965On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1969Born hereJesse L. Martin is born here
  10. 1994Born hereTarell Basham is born here
By decade

Rocky Mount, decade by decade

Date unknown3 to date
Mount PleasantDate?Mount PleasantWoods-Meade House, 118 Maple StreetDate?Woods-Meade House, 118 Maple StreetLeonard A. Gereau Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration, 150 Technology DriveDate?Leonard A. Gereau Center for Applied Technology and C…
Today10 recent
Photo of mayor perdue2025Photo of mayor perdueUS 220 BUS NORTH AT SR 919 (2)2023US 220 BUS NORTH AT SR 919 (2)RockyMountVaEF3Tornado2019RockyMountVaEF3TornadoAmanita virginiana 7398282017Amanita virginiana 7398282017-06-25 14 31 21 View north along Virginia State Route 122 (Booker T Washington Highway) just north of Wrays Chapel …20172017-06-25 14 31 21 View north along Virginia State R…Woods-Meade House in2016Woods-Meade House inThe Farm, ironmaster's house in2016The Farm, ironmaster's house inGreer House in2016Greer House inHoliday list from Virginia State Parks2014Holiday list from Virginia State ParksEvergreen-Callaway-Deyerle House in Franklin County Va2013Evergreen-Callaway-Deyerle House in Franklin County Va
On the map

Rocky Mount on the map in 1965

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rocky Mount.

Rocky Mount on the 1965 USGS map1965Rocky Mount 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 Rocky Mount.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Mount Pleasant
Retake this viewMount Pleasant

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Rocky Mount’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Rocky Mount, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,000188019001920194019601980200020204,903

Grew from 315 people in 1880 to 4,903 in 2020, more than tenfold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Rocky Mount

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

See all →
Jesse L. MartinAmerican stage, musical theatre, film and telev… · b. 1969
D
Dwaine BoardAmerican football player · b. 1956
L
Lillie BarbourAmerican suffrage activist and labor advocate · b. 1885
Tarell BashamAmerican football defensive end · b. 1994
Ron HodgesAmerican baseball player · b. 1949
J
Joey ArringtonRacecar driver · b. 1956
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

Rocky Mount’s post office has been open since 1795.

5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Rocky Mount
BelcherByrdviewHodgesPruntyWray-Greenwood

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.

Henry ForkIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Rocky Mount’s history

What year was Rocky Mount founded?

In 1786, according to Wikidata. Rocky Mount’s post office opened in 1795, and the census of 1880 counted 315 people here.

How does Rocky Mount rank for history?

Rocky Mount is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #31 of 253 in Virginia. 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 Rocky Mount?

5 listings: 3 buildings, 1 historic district, the Rocky Mount Historic District, with 211 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 215 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Rocky Mount?

10% of Rocky Mount’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1971.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.