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Swain

Ghost town · Washington County, North Carolina

Westover quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1954, 1:24,000)
Westover quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1954, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Swain is a ghost town in Washington County, North Carolina. It is one of 6 former communities in Washington County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 17th among the 48 North Carolina counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Swain as a historical populated place on the Westover 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 35.9166° N, 76.6280° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleWestover
Elevation8 ft
Nearest living townRoper, NC
Distance to it2.7 miles
GNIS feature ID1003454
Coordinates35.91655, -76.62800

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Swain is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Roper, NC (population 586), about 2.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 8 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Swain?

Swain is in Washington County, North Carolina, at 35.9166, -76.6280.

How many ghost towns are in Washington County?

Washington County, North Carolina has 6 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.