Townesville was established in about 1821 in Granville County. It was formerly known as Lynesville before 1851. William D. Hughes was the first postmaster of Townesville in Granville County on April 5, 1855.[2] A post office was established in Townesville on February 19, 1874 with Moses J. Bullock as postmaster. The town name was changed to Townsville in 1892.[3] The United States Post Office in Townsville has a ZIP Code of 27584.[4]
After Vance County was established in 1881 and by requirements of the Constitution of North Carolina of 1868, counties were to be divided into townships, which were solely administrative divisions of the county. One of these townships is Townsville Township, which includes the unincorporated community of Townsville.[5]