The village was first mentioned in 1570 as s. iacobus parochie, and means "parish of
Saint Jacob". In 1504, a deal was struck between
George, Duke of Saxony and four noblemen from
Holland to
polder the
Middelzee. Each group of settlers had to select a patron saint. In 1505, the dike was constructed. Sint Jacobiparochie was founded in 1505, when Het Bildt was diked in by workers from South Holland, Zeeland and Friesland, among others. It was initially called
Wijngaarden, as the place was founded largely by Dutch settlers from Wijngaarden in
South Holland. Today, both
Dutch and
West Frisian are spoken in the town. The town was originally named Wijngaarden, while "St. Jacobiparochie" was the name used for the local Roman Catholic parish. Eventually, the name for the parish came to be used as the name for the town as well. In 1979, the abandoned church was sold and turned into a cultural centre. There used to be a station on the
North Friesland Railway which opened in 1902 and closed to passengers in December 1940. Until 2018, the village was part of
het Bildt municipality. == Gallery ==