Ocracoke’s post office opened in 1840, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 228 buildings.
How Ocracoke began
When was Ocracoke founded?
The Ocracoke post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name.
2 listings protect 232 historic buildings
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.
Old corners and burying grounds
Ocracoke’s post office has been open since 1840.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Ocracoke’s history
What year was Ocracoke founded?
The Ocracoke post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Ocracoke?
Two places: the Ocracoke Light Station (listed 1977) and the Ocracoke Historic District (1990).
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 (2), 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.