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B+History
History · Wallace

Wallace’s post office opened in 1866, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 67% of U.S. towns · #86 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 56 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers from 1999 on and the census since 1890.

1866first post office
3on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Wallace’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Wallace began

When was Wallace founded?

1866

The Wallace post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 119 in 18902020 census: 3,413160 years

How historic is Wallace?

B+

More historic than 67% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Wallace’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wallace is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #86 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 Wallace’s overall grade.
Founding era1866, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194014.8% of homes (±4.1) · typical NC town 4.1% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register3 listings, 60 historic buildings, 174 per 10,000 residents · typical NC town 12.5 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 67%
NewerOlder
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 71%

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 Wallace’s 174 sits above most of its state (82% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 60 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points). 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 Wallace’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Wallace Commercial Historic District takes in 56 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wallace’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFEMA - 141 - Photograph by Dave Gatley …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

3 listings protect 60 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
60
each building in a district counts
first listed
1995
Wallace Commercial Historic District
Wallace Commercial Historic DistrictIsaac M. Powers HouseW. Stokes Boney House, built 1890
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Commercial Style1
Moderne1
Greek Revival1
Late Greek Revival1
All 3 listings
Wallace Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995Isaac M. Powers HouseBuilding · listed 1999W. Stokes Boney HouseBuilding · listed 1999

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

The story

How Wallace came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wallace.

Read it all →

Wallace was settled by the Boney family in the early 19th century. The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad spurred the development and it helped Wallace’s development and growth. Gabriel Boney, a local entrepreneur, seized the opportunities provided by the railroad and by 1870, had established a cotton gin, turpentine distillery, and general store, laying the foundation for the town and introduce strawberries to the region and which became a vital industry for Wallace, earning it the title of the "World's Largest Strawberry Exchange . In 1873 and the town was incorporated as Duplin Roads and it was named after Stephen D. Wallace, President of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wallace, 1866 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1866Post officeThe Wallace post office opens
  3. 1890BuiltW. Stokes Boney House is built
  4. 20th century
  5. 1936Born hereJames R. Jordan, Sr. is born here
  6. 1937Born hereWray Carlton is born here
  7. 1951Born hereM. L. Carr is born here
  8. 1999In the archiveFEMA - 141 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 09-28-1999 in North Carolina
  9. 21st century
  10. 2000Born hereJavonte Williams is born here
By decade

Wallace, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s3 items
FEMA - 141 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 09-28-1999 in North Carolina1999FEMA - 141 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 09-28…FEMA - 385 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 09-28-1999 in North Carolina1999FEMA - 385 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 09-28…FEMA - 97 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 09-28-1999 in North Carolina1999FEMA - 97 - Photograph by Dave Gatley taken on 09-28-…
Today14 recent
Wallace, NC June 2013 Freight Platform2013Wallace, NC June 2013 Freight PlatformWallace, NC June 2013 End of the Line. Track laid 19262013Wallace, NC June 2013 End of the Line. Track laid 1926Wallace, NC June 2013 End of the Line2013Wallace, NC June 2013 End of the LineWallace, NC June 2013 Depot renovated2013Wallace, NC June 2013 Depot renovatedWallace, NC June 2013 Depot Looking Great2013Wallace, NC June 2013 Depot Looking GreatWallace, NC June 2013 Bent Track Spike from automotive crash2013Wallace, NC June 2013 Bent Track Spike from automotiv…Wallace, NC June 2013 Bent Rail from Crash2013Wallace, NC June 2013 Bent Rail from CrashWallace, NC June 2013 Begin NCDOT Rail Corridor2013Wallace, NC June 2013 Begin NCDOT Rail CorridorWallace, NC June 2013 Atlanitc Coast Line 5577402013Wallace, NC June 2013 Atlanitc Coast Line 557740Wallace, NC June 2013 ACL Plaque on Caboose2013Wallace, NC June 2013 ACL Plaque on CabooseVeterans Memorial Wallace, NC June 20132013Veterans Memorial Wallace, NC June 2013Boney and RR Wallace, NC June 20132013Boney and RR Wallace, NC June 20132010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBookNCMap-doton-Wallace2004NCMap-doton-Wallace
People over time

Wallace, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 3,880

Between 119 and 3,880 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Wallace

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

See all →
M. L. CarrAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1951
Javonte WilliamsAmerican football running back · b. 2000
J
James R. Jordan, Sr.Murder victim, father of basketball player Mich… · b. 1936
W
Wray CarltonAmerican football player · b. 1937
Charles S. MurphyWhite House Counsel during the Truman Administr… · b. 1909
M
Mary Lee MillsAmerican nurse · b. 1912
Places that used to be

Old corners

Wallace’s post office has been open since 1866.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Tin City

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

Questions about Wallace’s history

What year was Wallace founded?

The Wallace post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Wallace rank for history?

Wallace is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #86 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 Wallace?

Three places: the Wallace Commercial Historic District (listed 1995), the Isaac M. Powers House (1999) and the W. Stokes Boney House (1999).

How old are the homes in Wallace?

15% of Wallace’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1977.

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), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.