The Town of Surry Historic District encloses a small crossroads community that was first settled in the mid-18th-century and became the Surry County seat in 1797. Surrounded by agricultural and forested lands, the community served as a trade and municipal center for area residents. Slow to develop, most of Surry’s early growth expanded from the Surry County Courthouse Complex, which was individually listed in 1986. During the Civil War, Confederate and Union forces occupied Surry at various times. After the war, an African American community known as Davis Town arose on the edge of town. During the decades before and after the turn of the 20th century, Surry and the surrounding area experienced a small boom due to a growing regional lumber industry and construction of a railroad through the town. Another small boom occurred after World War II, following the growth of agricultural processing plants in town, and establishment of a nuclear plant nearby. In addition to the courthouse complex, other historic buildings in the Surry district include many early 20th-century commercial buildings and several churches. During the previous century, residential construction occurred mostly on the main streets leading into and out of town. The historic architecture of Surry reflects its growth between 1820 and 1965, the period of significance for the historic district.