Our History

The history of Proctorville, North Carolina, traces its origins to the mid-19th century. In 1859, Calvin and Caroline Graham purchased approximately 204 acres of land that had originally been part of a royal land grant issued to James P. Lewis in 1745. Following the Civil War, on July 3, 1866, the Grahams sold a 50-acre portion of this land to Dennis Graham, a formerly enslaved man. This land would later serve as the foundation upon which the Town of Proctorville was established.

The development of Proctorville accelerated in 1899 when Augustus Mellier, president of the Carolina Northern Railroad, purchased a 100-foot-wide right-of-way through property owned by Dennis and Rose Graham to construct a railroad line. Soon after, Mellier acquired an additional 10 acres of land, which he subdivided into four blocks with planned streets and residential and commercial lots. The newly planned community was named in honor of Edward Knox Proctor Jr., a Lumberton attorney and strong advocate for regional infrastructure development, including the expansion of the railroad system.

Edward Knox Proctor Jr. later purchased the town site with the vision of building an “ideal town.” However, his plans were cut short when he died prematurely in 1907 after contracting illness. Despite this loss, development efforts continued under local leaders including W.R. Surles and J.L. Price, who served as the town’s first postmaster. The town charter was prepared by E.J. Britt of Lumberton and supported in the North Carolina General Assembly by George B. McLeod, Proctor’s brother-in-law. Proctorville was officially incorporated on March 7, 1913.