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History · Deal Island

Deal Island’s post office opened in 1856, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

9 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 84 buildings. Below: maps from 1903 on.

1856first post office
9on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Deal Island began

When was Deal Island founded?

1856

The Deal Island post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Wenona (1887), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 375170 years
Founding year: the first Deal Island post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Deal Island’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Deal Island are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Deal Island Historic District takes in 84 historic buildings.On the map since 19033 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1972. Watch Deal Island change.Landmarks on the Register9 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Deal Island’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Deal Island’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

9 listings protect 86 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
9
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
86
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Fannie L. Daugherty
Fannie L. DaughertyThomas W. ClydeClarence CrockettF. C. Lewis, JRHOWARD (Skipjack)Sea GullSusan MaySt. John's Methodist Episcopal Church and Joshua Thomas ChapelDeal Island Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Chesapeake Bay Skipjack7
Greek Revival2
Gothic2
Federal1
Second Empire1
Colonial Empire1
Fannie L. DaughertyChesapeake Bay Skipjack
Thomas W. ClydeChesapeake Bay Skipjack
All 9 listings
Clarence CrockettStructure · listed 1985F. C. Lewis, JRStructure · listed 1985HOWARD (Skipjack)Structure · listed 1985Sea GullStructure · listed 1985Susan MayStructure · listed 1985St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church and Joshua Thomas ChapelBuilding · listed 1990Deal Island Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

On the map

Deal Island on the map, 1903 to 1972

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Deal Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Deal Island on the 1903 USGS mapDeal Island on the 1942 USGS mapDeal Island on the 1972 USGS map1903Deal Island sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Deal Island.

The story

How Deal Island came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Deal Island.

Read it all →

Deal Island was historically known as Deal's, Deil's, and Devil's Island. Nearby Dames Quarters also had an unappealing name: Quarters of the Damned. At least one source also attributes these nicknames to the area's use by pirates.

The island is famous for Joshua Thomas, who predicted the British defeat in the War of 1812. Thomas is buried alongside the Joshua Thomas Chapel.

The Deal Island Historic District, Sea Gull (skipjack), and St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church and Joshua Thomas Chapel are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Deal Island, 1826 to 1998

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1826Born hereWilliam Daniel is born here
  3. 1856Post officeThe Deal Island post office opens
  4. 1887Post officeThe Wenona post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1998Post officeThe Wenona post office closes
By decade

Deal Island, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Vacant home located within Deal Island Historic District2021Vacant home located within Deal Island Historic Distr…Deal Island Harbor prior to 2021 Skipjack Races2021Deal Island Harbor prior to 2021 Skipjack RacesDeal Island Bank Building within Historic District2021Deal Island Bank Building within Historic DistrictThe Country Church (Unsplash)2017The Country Church (Unsplash)Deal Island Old Post Office2008Deal Island Old Post Office
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Deal Island’s post office has been open since 1856. Another post office, Wenona, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Deal Island
1856–today
Wenona
1887–1998
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Wenona
Gone or out of use
Wenona Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Deal Island
Saint Johns Methodist

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Dames QuarterIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townChance2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Deal Island’s history

What year was Deal Island founded?

The Deal Island post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Deal Island?

9 listings: 1 building, 1 historic district, the Deal Island Historic District, with 84 contributing buildings, and 7 structures. 86 historic buildings in all.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

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 Wikimedia Commons (5), the National Register of Historic Places (9), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.