Louisburg was established in 1779 and named in honor of King Louis XVI of France, who was aiding the American Revolution at the time.

[5] In June 1965, the local newspaper and radio station publicized the names and addresses of African-American families who had applied to attend white schools in Franklin County.

[6] The families were attacked on numerous occasions by white extremists, who fired into their homes or destroyed their cars.

[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), all land.

Like the rest of eastern North Carolina, Louisburg has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), with cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers.

Rainfall - which is mainly produced by afternoon thunderstorms - is highest in the summer months.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,064 people, 1,250 households, and 798 families residing in the town.

[16] The town council has seven elected members, who all live within the Louisburg corporate limits.

[17] The main office buildings of Franklin County Schools are located at 53 West River Road, Louisburg NC 27549 in the former Franklin County Training School-Riverside Union School.

Louisburg College is a two-year residential college located in Louisburg, North Carolina, that focuses on getting students ready for the next step to a four-year school offering baccalaureate degrees.