Map of Onancock town

Onancock (/oʊˈnænkɒk/ oh-NAN-kok) is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,263 at the 2010 census.

Onancock town overview:
Name:	Onancock town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	Virginia
County:	Accomack County
Elevation:	16 ft (5 m)
Total Area:	1.05 sq mi (2.72 km²)
Land Area:	1.05 sq mi (2.71 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	1,263
Population Density:	1,156.64/sq mi (446.78/km²)
ZIP code:	23417
Area code:	757, 948
FIPS code:	5159336
GNISfeature ID:	1493376
Website:	www.onancock.com

Online Interactive Map

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Onancock online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Onancock location map. Where is Onancock town?

Onancock location on the U.S. Map. Where is Onancock town. — Onancock location on the U.S. Map.

Onancock location on the Virginia map. Where is Onancock town. — Location of Onancock in Virginia.

History

According to a nearby Virginia state highway marker, Onancock was founded in 1680. A courthouse was established some years after, and militia barracks established during the Revolution.

Some thirteen months after Cornwallis’ October 1781 surrender at Yorktown, Commodore Zedechiah Whaley sought aid from Onancock during a naval campaign against British barges of war that had been harassing the shores and farms of Chesapeake Bay. On November 28, 1782 he sailed up Onancock Creek and appealed to Lt. Colonel John Cropper, who rounded up 25 local men in support. They boarded Whaley’s flagship, Protector, and continued his siege upon the British flotilla.

In what became the Battle of Kedges Strait three of four of Whaley’s barges turned back under heavy British fire, leaving the Protector alone to press the fight. Vastly outnumbered, ultimately 25 of its 65 men were killed or wounded, 29 captured, and only 11 escaped during a climactic action on November 30. Whaley surrendered – in the last naval action of the Revolution – on the very day the Treaty of Paris seeking to finally end the hostilities between the two nations was drafted. It would be another year and a half yet until the completed treaty was signed, ratified, and exchanged, ultimately becoming effective on May 12, 1784.

The highway marker also indicates that the home of Virginia governor Henry A. Wise (1856–60), Onley, is nearby.

In the mid-19th century, Onancock was a point along the stagecoach route between Wilmington, Delaware and Eastville, Virginia.

The Onancock Historic District, Cokesbury Church, Hopkins and Brother Store, and Ker Place are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.