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History · St. James

St. James’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of St. James. 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

St. James or Saint James is a town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, St. James had a population of 6,529. It is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,165 to 6,529 (+106%). Half of its homes were built before 2011.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of St. James 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 St. James’s collection

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

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

Famous people close to St. James

See all 17 →
Ariana DeBoseAriana DeBoseWilmington · 22 miSugar Ray LeonardSugar Ray LeonardWilmington · 22 miStoyaStoyaWilmington · 22 miSam JonesSam JonesWilmington · 22 miCharlie DanielsCharlie DanielsWilmington · 22 miPercy HeathPercy HeathWilmington · 22 mi
By decade

St. James, 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 St. James is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean St. James has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is John N. Smith Cemetery in Southport, 4.9 miles away.

St. James and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = St. James. Tap a dot.
John N. Smith CemeteryBrunswick County CourthouseFort JohnstonOak Island LighthouseSouthport Historic DistrictOak Island Life Saving Station

Closest to St. James

John N. Smith CemeterySouthport · Site4.9miBrunswick County CourthouseSouthport · Building5miFort JohnstonSouthport · Site5.1miOak Island LighthouseCaswell Beach · Built 19575.2miSouthport Historic DistrictSouthport · District5.2mi

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. John N. Smith Cemetery’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in St. James?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to St. James’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
📜 Oak Island📜 Caswell Beach📜 Southport📜 Boiling Spring Lakes
The coffee’s on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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