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History · Kenney

Kenney’s post office opened in 1872, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1880.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Quick answers

How Kenney began, and where its name came from

When was Kenney founded?

1872

The Kenney post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 419 in 18802020 census: 311154 years

How did Kenney get its name?

Kenney was named for its founder, Moses Kenney.

Founding year: the first Kenney post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Kenney’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Kenney are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 584 in 1900; 311 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Kenney’s homes were built before 1945.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kenney’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Kenney, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 584

Peaked at 584 in 1900; 311 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Kenney’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Kenney came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kenney.

Read it all →

Kenney was the first community in the nation to achieve one hundred percent participation in the V-Home campaign. This distinction came in November 1942 and won Kenney national attention. The V-Home was an honor bestowed on those households which adhered to civil protection guidelines, conserved on the use of vital goods, salvaged essential resources, declined to spread rumors or promote racial intolerance, and bought war bonds.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Kenney in 1882

Passages that mention Kenney, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Howard, a comfortable house of worship was erected by the Pleasant Valley members in 1S61. Rev. Joseph Howard and Wm. Humphrey contributed largely to this enterprise ; but when the town of Kenney had been established several years, it was thought prudent (as the church was three miles distant) to r…
... History of De Witt county, Illinois. With illustrations descriptive of the scenery, and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers1882 · page 135Read the page →
Read the text

Howard, a comfortable house of worship was erected by the Pleasant Valley members in 1S61. Rev. Joseph Howard and Wm. Humphrey contributed largely to this enterprise ; but when the town of Kenney had been established several years, it was thought prudent (as the church was three miles distant) to remove it to Kenney, which was done in 1875. Kenney was connected awhile with Chestnut, in Logan, and with Maroa, in Macon county ; but at present with the Waynesville circuit.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The young and growing town of Kenney is situated on the line of the Oilman, Clinton and Springfield Railroad, on section 16, in the township of Tunbridge. The first paper established in tlie village was named the KENNEY REGISTER.
... History of De Witt county, Illinois. With illustrations descriptive of the scenery, and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers1882 · page 101Read the page →
Read the text

The young and growing town of Kenney is situated on the line of the Oilman, Clinton and Springfield Railroad, on section 16, in the township of Tunbridge. The first paper established in tlie village was named the KENNEY REGISTER.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Kenney, 1872 to 1957

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Kenney post office opens
  3. 1877Born hereDel Howard is born here
  4. 1882Born hereIvan Howard is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 584
  7. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Kenney on the map, 1957 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Kenney. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Kenney on the 1957 USGS mapKenney on the 1980 USGS map1957Kenney sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Kenney.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Kenney

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Del HowardMajor League Baseball player · b. 1877
Ivan HowardAmerican baseball player · b. 1882

Questions about Kenney’s history

What year was Kenney founded?

The Kenney post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.