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History · Temperanceville

Temperanceville’s post office opened in 1852, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1943 on.

1852first post office
0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
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Photo: self · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Temperanceville began

When was Temperanceville founded?

1852

The Temperanceville post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Makemie Park (1908), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 308174 years
Founding year: the first Temperanceville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Temperanceville’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 Temperanceville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Temperanceville’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Temperanceville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Temperanceville’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

Temperanceville, in brief

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

Temperanceville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in 2010. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 308. Temperanceville was originally built up chiefly by Quakers. It lies at an elevation of 43 feet.

Its first post office opened in 1852. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 358 to 308 (-14%).

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

Timeline

Temperanceville, 1852 to 1964

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852Post officeThe Temperanceville post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1908Post officeThe Makemie Park post office opens
  5. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1964Post officeThe Makemie Park post office closes
By decade

Temperanceville, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Untitled photo2018Untitled photoU.S. Route 13 with Temperanceville USPO2018U.S. Route 13 with Temperanceville USPOCentral Temperanceville, Virginia, surrounding Route 132018Central Temperanceville, Virginia, surrounding Route …US Route 13 092505 10712013US Route 13 092505 1071
On the map

Temperanceville on the map, 1943 to 1992

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

Temperanceville on the 1943 USGS mapTemperanceville on the 1953 USGS mapTemperanceville on the 1968 USGS mapTemperanceville on the 1992 USGS map1943Hallwood sheet · 1:31,680

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Temperanceville

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

See all →
Henry A. WiseUnited States Congressman and governor of Virgi… · b. 1806
Hugh Latimer DrydenAmerican aeronautical scientist and civil serva… · b. 1898
B
Bill HinnantAmerican actor · b. 1935
S
Skip HinnantAmerican actor · b. 1940
Thomas H. B. BrowneAmerican politician · b. 1844
Edward Southey JoynesAmerican scholar · b. 1834
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Temperanceville’s post office has been open since 1852. Another post office, Makemie Park, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Temperanceville
1852–today
Makemie Park
1908–1964
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Makemie Park
1cemetery inside Temperanceville
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.

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

Questions about Temperanceville’s history

What year was Temperanceville founded?

The Temperanceville post office opened in 1852, 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 (4), 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.