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Downsville

Ghost town · Caldwell County, North Carolina

Ellendale quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1970, 1:24,000)
Ellendale quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1970, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Downsville is a ghost town in Caldwell County, North Carolina. It is one of 17 former communities in Caldwell County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 4th among the 48 North Carolina counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Downsville as a historical populated place on the Ellendale topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 35.8812° N, 81.3612° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleEllendale
Elevation1,232 ft
Nearest living townBethlehem, NC
Distance to it5.6 miles
GNIS feature ID1001506
Coordinates35.88124, -81.36120

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Downsville is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Bethlehem, NC (population 3,928), about 5.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,232 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Downsville?

Downsville is in Caldwell County, North Carolina, at 35.8812, -81.3612.

How many ghost towns are in Caldwell County?

Caldwell County, North Carolina has 17 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.