At first, the area was known as Young’s Cross Roads, named after one of the prominent residents who lived along the river, Mr. John Young. Upon his and his wife Nancy’s death, his children sold their land and the town became known simply as the “Crossroads.”
In the late 1800s, the town took its present name of Maysville from the John D. May Family. Mr. May was instrumental in getting an elementary school established on the JonesCounty side of the river and he taught at this school. The new school was also used as a place of worship. The school was referred to as May’s School from the very beginning, and as time passed the entire settlement became known as Maysville. Maysville was incorporated as a town on March 9th, 1897.
Maysville was one of the first towns in North Carolina to elect a woman as mayor. In 1925, Mrs. Annie Koonce Jenkins was elected and served six years as the Mayor of Maysville. Today her legacy is still seen by everyone because she was responsible for the planting of the large oaks, many of which still line our city streets today.
The arrival of the railroad into the area gave the little town of Maysville on the White Oak River a much-needed boost. It was first known as the East Carolina Rail Company, organized in 1887, and eventually became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company of Virginia on May 2, 1900. The railroad line remained in service until the mid-90’s when the line between New Bern and Wilmington was abandoned.
