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History · Wachapreague

Wachapreague’s post office opened in 1881, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1931 on, and the census since 1910.

1881first post office
2on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Rlevse · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Wachapreague began

When was Wachapreague founded?

1881

The Wachapreague post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 485 in 19102020 census: 257145 years
Founding year: the first Wachapreague post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Wachapreague’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 585 in 1930; 257 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Wachapreague’s homes were built before 1944.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wachapreague’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Wachapreague, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020Peak: 585

Peaked at 585 in 1930; 257 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Wachapreague came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wachapreague.

Read it all →

The name of the town came from the Wachapreague, an Algonquian people who resided in the area centuries ago.

Bunting Place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wachapreague, 1881 to 1931

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Wachapreague post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1923Born hereTom Clyde is born here
  5. 1926Born hereStanley Glenn is born here
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 585
  7. 1931On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Wachapreague, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Flood plain information, coastal flooding: Town of Wachapreague, Virginia – Flood plain informationDate?Flood plain information, coastal flooding: Town of Wa…Book
Today21 recent
2017-07-12 09 24 01 View west along Virginia State Route 180 (Wachapreague Road) at Bradfords Neck Road (Virginia State…20172017-07-12 09 24 01 View west along Virginia State Ro…Wachapreague, Virginia2016Wachapreague, VirginiaWachapreague Volunteer Fire Company2016Wachapreague Volunteer Fire CompanyThe docks in2016The docks inSunrise 5 over2016Sunrise 5 overSunrise 4 over2016Sunrise 4 overSunrise 3 over2016Sunrise 3 overSunrise 2 over2016Sunrise 2 overIsland House Restaurant in2016Island House Restaurant inIsland House Restaurant and Captain Zed's Bait ^ Tackle2016Island House Restaurant and Captain Zed's Bait ^ Tack…Casa Esperanza de2016Casa Esperanza deAtlantic Ave2016Atlantic AveEastern Virginia Flooded Roadway2012Eastern Virginia Flooded RoadwayWachapreagueWomenFishingSign2010WachapreagueWomenFishingSignWachapreagueVolunteerFireGazebo2010WachapreagueVolunteerFireGazeboWachapreagueSeaMarshFishingPier2010WachapreagueSeaMarshFishingPierWachapreagueSeaMarshFishingBoats2010WachapreagueSeaMarshFishingBoatsWachapreagueSeaMarsh2010WachapreagueSeaMarshWachapreagueIslandHouseRestaurant2010WachapreagueIslandHouseRestaurantWachapreagueDuckCrossingSign2010WachapreagueDuckCrossingSignVAMap-doton-Wachapreague2005VAMap-doton-Wachapreague
On the map

Wachapreague on the map in 1931

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wachapreague.

Wachapreague on the 1931 USGS map1931Accomac sheet · 1:62,500

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

On the National Register

2 historic places in Wachapreague

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
2003
Bunting Place
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Early Republic1
Federal1
All 2 listings
Bunting PlaceBuilding · listed 2003Wachapreague Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2026

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Wachapreague

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

See all →
S
Stanley GlennAmerican baseball player · b. 1926
T
Tom ClydeAmerican baseball player · b. 1923

Questions about Wachapreague’s history

What year was Wachapreague founded?

The Wachapreague post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Wachapreague?

Two places: the Bunting Place (listed 2003) and the Wachapreague Historic District (2026).

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 Wikimedia Commons (22), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.