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History · Carolina

Carolina’s post office opened in 1917, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1902 on.

1917first post office
0on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Carolina began

When was Carolina founded?

1917

The Carolina post office opened in 1917, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 390109 years
Founding year: the first Carolina post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Carolina’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 Carolina are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19025 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1977. Watch Carolina change.Old housesHalf of Carolina’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Carolina’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Carolina’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
On the map

Carolina on the map, 1902 to 1977

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

Carolina on the 1902 USGS mapCarolina on the 1910 USGS mapCarolina on the 1923 USGS mapCarolina on the 1960 USGS mapCarolina on the 1977 USGS map1902Clarksburg 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 Carolina.

The story so far

Carolina, in brief

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

Carolina is an unincorporated town in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. Carolina is 2 miles (3.2 km) north-northwest of Worthington. Carolina has a post office with ZIP code 26563. It has been designated a census-designated place (CDP); as of the 2020 census, its population was 390 (down from 411 at the 2010 census). The community was named after Caroline Watson, a daughter of mining executive James Watson. Consolidated Coal Company bought lands in the area for mining in 1914, and starting building the village in 1915.

Its first post office opened in 1917. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 411 to 390 (-5%).

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

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Carolina

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

See all →
Stonewall JacksonGeneral of the Confederate Army in the American… · b. 1824
Cyrus VanceUnited States Secretary of State from 1977 to 1… · b. 1917
Joe ManchinAmerican politician and businessman · b. 1947
Mary Lou RettonAmerican gymnast · b. 1968
John William DavisAmerican politician, presidential candidate · b. 1873
Johnnie JohnsonAmerican musician · b. 1924

Questions about Carolina’s history

What year was Carolina founded?

The Carolina post office opened in 1917, 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 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.