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History · Milwaukee

Milwaukee’s post office opened in 1888, and 74% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1973 on.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
74%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Milwaukee began

When was Milwaukee founded?

1888

The Milwaukee post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 157138 years
Founding year: the first Milwaukee post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Milwaukee’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 Milwaukee are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Milwaukee’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Milwaukee’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Milwaukee’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
The story so far

Milwaukee, in brief

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

Milwaukee is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Northampton County, North Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 157. The ZIP code is 27854.

Its first post office opened in 1888.

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

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

Milwaukee on the map, 1973 to 1985

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

Milwaukee on the 1973 USGS mapMilwaukee on the 1985 USGS map1973Conway 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 Milwaukee.

Famous people

Famous people close to Milwaukee

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

See all →
Chris DaughtryAmerican musician and American Idol contestant · b. 1979
Kent BazemoreAmerican basketball player · b. 1989
John EatonAmerican politician and diplomat · b. 1790
George GrizzardAmerican actor · b. 1928
E
Ella MitchellAmerican actress · b. 1937
Chuck BrownAmerican guitarist, bandleader and singer · b. 1936

Questions about Milwaukee’s history

What year was Milwaukee founded?

The Milwaukee post office opened in 1888, 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 →
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 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.