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BHistory
History · Dunn

Dunn’s post office opened in 1886, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 59% of U.S. towns · #107 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 54 buildings. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1890.

1886first post office
4on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Dunn began

When was Dunn founded?

1886

The Dunn post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Wade (1882) and Lucknow (1886), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 419 in 18902020 census: 8,446140 years

How historic is Dunn?

B

More historic than 59% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Dunn post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Dunn’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dunn is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #107 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dunn’s overall grade.
Founding era1886, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194010.3% of homes (±2.8) · typical NC town 4.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register4 listings, 75 historic buildings, 87.6 per 10,000 residents · typical NC town 12.5 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 59%
NewerOlder
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 63%

North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Dunn’s 87.6 sits above most of its state (74% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 75 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Dunn’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 Dunn are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Dunn Commercial Historic District takes in 54 historic buildings.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Dunn, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1904 to 1913, drew every building in Dunn.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dunn’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dunn’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

4 listings protect 75 historic buildings

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

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
75
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Kenneth L. Howard House
Kenneth L. Howard HouseGen. William C. Lee HouseJohn A. McKay House and Manufacturing Company, built 1903Dunn Commercial Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival1
Neo-Classical Revival1
Greek Revival1
Jones Brothers and Company1
Kenneth L. Howard HouseColonial Revival
Gen. William C. Lee HouseNeo-Classical Revival
John A. McKay House and Manufacturing CompanyGreek Revival · Built 1903
Dunn Commercial Historic DistrictJones Brothers and Company

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Dunn’s post office has been open since 1886. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wade
1882–1886
Dunn
1886–today
Lucknow
1886–1886
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Grove ParkLakeside VillageWesthaven
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Dunn
GreenwoodResthaven Memorial Park

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

The story

How Dunn came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dunn.

Read it all →

Originally called "Lucknow", what would become present-day Dunn was a sleepy hamlet compared to Averasborough, a much larger city on the Cape Fear River. After the Battle of Averasborough in 1865, most residents from Averasborough left for Lucknow, renamed "Dunn" in 1873.

The city of Dunn was incorporated on February 12, 1887, at which time it was a logging town and a turpentine distilling center. The name honors Bennett Dunn, who supervised the construction of the railway line between Wilson and Fayetteville.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dunn, 1882 to 1973

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882Post officeThe Wade post office opens
  3. 1886Post officeThe Wade post office closes
  4. 1886Post officeThe Dunn post office opens
  5. 1886Post officeThe Lucknow post office opens
  6. 1886Post officeThe Lucknow post office closes
  7. 1895Born hereWilliam C. Lee is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1903BuiltJohn A. McKay House and Manufacturing Company is built
  10. 1929Born hereLink Wray is born here
  11. 1956Born hereDebbi Morgan is born here
  12. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Dunn, decade by decade

Today17 recent
Interstate 95 in North Carolina2018Interstate 95 in North CarolinaInterstate 95 in North Carolina2018Interstate 95 in North CarolinaHang Loose Arcade2014Hang Loose ArcadeWelcome to Spivey's Corner2012Welcome to Spivey's CornerTornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 20112011Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011 52011Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011 5Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011 42011Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011 4Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011 32011Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011 3Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011 22011Tornado damage Dunn, NC April 16, 2011 2Your home for tonight, Dawson's Motor Court, on U.S. 301 South -- city limits -- telephone 40982011Your home for tonight, Dawson's Motor Court, on U.S. …PostcardMa's Kitchen, modern deluxe brick cottages, 15 rooms, Dunn, N. C2011Ma's Kitchen, modern deluxe brick cottages, 15 rooms,…PostcardJohnson's Restaurant, within city limits -- 301 Highway going South, Dunn, N. C2011Johnson's Restaurant, within city limits -- 301 Highw…PostcardJohnson's Diner. Located south side Dunn, N. C. on Highway 3012011Johnson's Diner. Located south side Dunn, N. C. on Hi…PostcardIdeal Tourist Court, Dunn, North Carolina, on U.S. Route 301 -- 200 yards North of city limits2011Ideal Tourist Court, Dunn, North Carolina, on U.S. Ro…PostcardHotel Cotton Dale2011Hotel Cotton DalePostcardHodges' Motor Court, "Nothing finer". New2011Hodges' Motor Court, "Nothing finer". NewPostcardButler's Tourist Home, on U.S. Highway 301, Dunn, N. C2011Butler's Tourist Home, on U.S. Highway 301, Dunn, N. CPostcard
On the map

Dunn on the map, 1973 to 1997

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

Dunn on the 1973 USGS mapDunn on the 1981 USGS mapDunn on the 1997 USGS map1973Dunn sheet · 1:24,000

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

Every building

Dunn, building by building, 1904–1913

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Dunn fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Dunn, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 9,263

Between 419 and 9,263 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dunn’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Dunn

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Link WrayAmerican guitarist · b. 1929
Debbi MorganAmerican actress · b. 1956
William C. LeeUnited States general · b. 1895
D
Dorothy F. BaileyAmerican politician
C
Cal LampleyAmerican record producer · b. 1924
B
Beth FinchAmerican politician and businesswoman · b. 1921
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Erwin1 historic placeB−

Questions about Dunn’s history

What year was Dunn founded?

The Dunn post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Dunn rank for history?

Dunn is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #107 of 290 in North Carolina. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Dunn?

4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Kenneth L. Howard House (listed 1982, the first), and 1 historic district, the Dunn Commercial Historic District, with 54 contributing buildings. 75 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Dunn?

10% of Dunn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1973.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.