The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Popular legend has it that William Mahone (1826–1895), builder of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad (now Norfolk Southern), and his cultured wife, Otelia Butler Mahone (1837–1911), traveled along the newly completed Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad naming stations. Otelia was reading Ivanhoe, a book written by Sir Walter Scott. From his historical Scottish novels, Otelia chose the place names of Waverly, as well as Windsor and Wakefield. She tapped the Scottish Clan "McIvor" for the name of Ivor, a small town in neighboring Southampton County. When they could not agree, it is said that they invented a new name in honor of their dispute, which is how the tiny community of Disputanta a few miles west of Waverly was named. The N&P railroad was completed in 1858.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Waverly’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waverly’s history is told.
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Waverly, decade by decade
2000
3 historic places in Waverly
Waverly has 3 listings on the National Register, and they protect 58 historic buildings, because Waverly Downtown Historic District alone counts 48.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (9) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.