Maplewood straddles the border between ZIP codes 23002 (Amelia Court House, the county seat, 4 miles northeast) and 23083 (Jetersville).

At the turn of the 20th century, Maplewood was a post village and a freight station (Milepost 40.0)[1] on what was then the Southern Railway,[2] originally the Richmond and Danville Railroad.

[4] Maplewood lies along the route followed by Confederate general Robert E. Lee and his army in their retreat during the final days of the Civil War, a phase known as the Appomattox campaign.

Numerous roadside historical marker signs have been erected along the route, including an official one on modern-day US 360 at Maplewood that reads as follows:[5][6] Near here Lee, moving south toward Danville, in the afternoon of April 5, 1865[,] found the road blocked by Sheridan.

[7] In 1993, despite legal action by local residents,[8] the Maplewood Recycling and Waste Disposal Facility opened, replacing the previous county-operated landfill.