St. James’ post office opened in 1829, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
Most of St. James was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1963. Its Register listing is the Graugnard Farms Plantation House.
How St. James began
When was St. James founded?
The St. James post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Saint Amelia (1902), Burton (1904) and Hymel (1921), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
1 historic place in St. James
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Architectural styles listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about St. James’ history
What year was St. James founded?
The St. James post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in St. James?
One place: the Graugnard Farms Plantation House (listed 1992).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.