The origin of the name Beverly is disputed. In January 1865 Confederate General Thomas L. Rosser took 300 men, crossed the Allegheny Mountains to Beverly in deep snow and bitter cold and surprised and captured two Union infantry regiments in their works there. Some 580 prisoners were taken. Rosser's troops partially burnt the Beverly Covered Bridge, the earliest of Lemuel Chenoweth's celebrated wooden covered bridges, but Chenoweth rebuilt it in 1872 and '73.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 702 people, 323 households, and 199 families living in the town. The population density was. There were 360 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 98.0% White, 0.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.3% of the population. There were 323 households, of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.2% were married couplesliving together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age in the town was 40.5 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 651 people, 285 households, and 190 families living in the town. The population density was 1,473.4 inhabitants per square mile. There were 313 housing units at an average density of 708.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 98.77% White, 0.31% Native American, 0.46% Asian, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population. There were 285 households, out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.71. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $21,875, and the median income for a family was $24,722. Males had a median income of $25,714 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,620. About 27.4% of families and 31.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.0% of those under age 18 and 34.7% of those age 65 or over.
