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History · Cape Colony

Cape Colony’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Cape Colony. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Cape Colony is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Chowan County, North Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 691. The community is in southern Chowan County, on the northeast bank of the tidal Chowan River. It is bordered to the east by North Carolina State Highway 94, with Northeastern Regional Airport across the highway. Cape Colony is 5 miles (8 km) by road south of the center of Edenton, the county seat.

Half of its homes were built before 1987.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Cape Colony yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Cape Colony’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from Cape ColonyWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Cape Colony.Meet them →
By decade

Cape Colony, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Cape Colony is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Cape Colony has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Athol in Edenton, 1.5 miles away.

Cape Colony and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Cape Colony. Tap a dot.
AtholHayes PlantationMulberry HillSusan J. Armistead Moore HouseEdenton Historic District (Boundary Increase)Edenton Cotton Mill Historic District

Closest to Cape Colony

AtholEdenton · Greek Revival1.5miHayes PlantationEdenton · Built 18142.4miMulberry HillCape Colony · Federal2.8miSusan J. Armistead Moore HouseEdenton · Building2.8miEdenton Historic District (Boundary Increase)Edenton · District2.9mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Athol’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Cape Colony?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Cape Colony’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Edenton📜 Roper📜 Hertford📜 Plymouth
The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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