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History · Dudley

Dudley’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Another town named Dudley originally existed several miles north from its current location. It was founded by Labon Lewis, the son of a Revolutionary soldier, named for his deceased brother Dudley Lewis. On January 13, 1840, a post office was established for this town. This office's name was later changed to Everettsville, which was moved to a new location in 1849 and was closed in 1866.

The second and present town bearing the name was set up around 1836-1840 as a camp for the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad. This time, however, it was named for Governor Edward B. Dudley, the railroad's founder. In the years in which the village grew, it gained a depot and a passenger station. Its post office was established on February 3, 1850.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Start Dudley’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Dudley

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CKCharles KornegaySportsJSJesse SlocumbPolitics & LawCECecil ExumSports
By decade

Dudley, 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.
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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Dudley is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Dudley has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Mount Olive High School (Former) in Mount Olive, 4.5 miles away.

Dudley and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Dudley. Tap a dot.
Mount Olive High School (Former)US Post Office, FormerPerry-Cherry HouseSoutherland-Burnette HouseMount Olive Historic DistrictLoftin Farm

Closest to Dudley

Mount Olive High School (Former)Mount Olive · Building4.5miUS Post Office, FormerMount Olive · Built 19314.6miPerry-Cherry HouseMount Olive · Building4.6miSoutherland-Burnette HouseMount Olive · Built 19244.6miMount Olive Historic DistrictMount Olive · District4.7mi

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. Mount Olive High School (Former)’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Dudley?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Dudley’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
📜 Mount Olive📜 Calypso📜 Goldsboro📜 Walnut Creek
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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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