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History · Manns Harbor

Manns Harbor’s post office opened in 1876

Most of Manns Harbor was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: maps from 1953 on.

1876first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Manns Harbor began

When was Manns Harbor founded?

1876

The Manns Harbor post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 790150 years
Founding year: the first Manns Harbor post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Manns Harbor’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 Manns Harbor are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Manns Harbor’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Manns Harbor’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Manns Harbor, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Manns Harbor yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Manns Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Manns Harbor had a population of 790.

Its first post office opened in 1876. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 821 to 790 (-4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Manns Harbor, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Manns Harbor Mount Carmel Methodist2020Manns Harbor Mount Carmel MethodistJunction of U.S 264 and U.S. 642014Junction of U.S 264 and U.S. 64
On the map

Manns Harbor on the map, 1953 to 2002

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

Manns Harbor on the 1953 USGS mapManns Harbor on the 1974 USGS mapManns Harbor on the 2002 USGS map1953Manns Harbor 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 Manns Harbor.

Famous people

Famous people close to Manns Harbor

Nobody well known was born in Manns Harbor itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Marc BasnightAmerican politician · b. 1947
D
Dorothy Spruill RedfordAmerican historian · b. 1943
Emanuel DavisAmerican football player · b. 1989
John Allen Midgett, Jr.United States Coast Guard officer · b. 1876

Questions about Manns Harbor’s history

What year was Manns Harbor founded?

The Manns Harbor post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (2), 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.