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History · Kenvir

Kenvir dates to 1919, and 60% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 12 old photos and papers and maps from 1919 on.

1919founded
0on the National Register
60%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Kenvir’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Kenvir began, and where its name came from

When was Kenvir founded?

1919

Kenvir dates its founding to 1919 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1921.

2020 census: 204107 years

How did Kenvir get its name?

Kenvir was named for its closeness to the Kentucky-Virginia border.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1921. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Kenvir’s past

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

Old housesHalf of Kenvir’s homes were built before 1938.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers.On the map since 19194 editions of the USGS map, 1919 to 1976. Watch Kenvir change.
★ What stands out · The story

How Kenvir came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kenvir.

Read it all →

Kenvir was founded by the Black Mountain Coal Company in 1919 on Yocum Creek, a tributary of the Clover Fork. It was named for its closeness to the Kentucky-Virginia border. In January 1921, the Dizney post office was moved to serve the area, and was renamed to Kenvir, with Roscoe Weaver as its postmaster. The Kenvir post office continues to serve the area with the ZIP Code 40847. At its peak, Kenvir had a population of 5,000, two schools, a hospital, five churches, and a movie theater.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Kenvir, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s12 items
Bedroom in home of Murray Price, miner, six people sleep in these two beds. One larger boy is missing in picture. He...…1946Bedroom in home of Murray Price, miner, six people sl…Child of Murray Price, miner, asleep on couch where he normally sleeps at night. Black Mountain Corporation, 30-31... -…1946Child of Murray Price, miner, asleep on couch where h…Coal produced by these two mines is labeled. Black Mountain Corporation, 30-31 Mines, Kenvir, Harlan County, Kentucky1946Coal produced by these two mines is labeled. Black Mo…Dan Moore, miner, in company hospital receiving visit from family members. He has double hernia. Black Mountain... - NA…1946Dan Moore, miner, in company hospital receiving visit…Dr. R. S. Howard, company doctor, giving intravenous injection of Aminophylline for miner's asthma to James E. Lee.... …1946Dr. R. S. Howard, company doctor, giving intravenous …Front porch and family of Furman Currington, miner, who lives in company housing project. Two of family are not in... -…1946Front porch and family of Furman Currington, miner, w…Front porch of home of Murray Price, miner. They have running water inside, have lived in this house 2 years (, it)... …1946Front porch of home of Murray Price, miner. They have…Front porch of home of Virgil Price, miner. They have lived here 12 years. Have 4 children, 2 beds, pay rent $10 per...…1946Front porch of home of Virgil Price, miner. They have…Furman Currington and his son, miners. Black Mountain Corporation, 30-31 Mines, Kenvir, Harlan County, Kentucky1946Furman Currington and his son, miners. Black Mountain…G.W. Hall, district field worker UMWA gives oath to miners joining union. Black Mountain Corporation, 30-31, Kenvir... …1946G.W. Hall, district field worker UMWA gives oath to m…Home of Carl Ruth, miner, who lives in company housing project. Rental is $10 per month. Black Mountain Corporation... …1946Home of Carl Ruth, miner, who lives in company housin…Home of miner in company housing project. Notice drainage in street. Black Mountain Corporation, 30-31 Mines, Kenvir...…1946Home of miner in company housing project. Notice drai…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Kenvir on the map, 1919 to 1976

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

Kenvir on the 1919 USGS mapKenvir on the 1935 USGS mapKenvir on the 1954 USGS mapKenvir on the 1976 USGS map1919Nolansburg 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 Kenvir.

Timeline

Kenvir, 1919 to 1946

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1919
    FoundingKenvir is established
  3. 1919On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1921Post officeThe Kenvir post office opens
  5. 1946In the archiveBedroom in home of Murray Price, miner, six people sleep in these two beds. One larger bo…
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Bedroom in home of Murray Price, miner, six people sleep in these two beds. One larger boy is missing in picture. He...…
Retake this viewBedroom in home of Murray Price, miner, six people sleep in these two beds. One larger boy is missing in picture. He...…, 1946

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Kenvir’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Kenvir

Nobody well known was born in Kenvir itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Nick LacheyAmerican singer, actor, producer and television… · b. 1973
Morgan WallenAmerican country singer · b. 1993
Peggie CastleAmerican actress who specialized in playing the… · b. 1927
Juanita M. KrepsUnited States Secretary of Commerce · b. 1921
Louise SlaughterAmerican politician · b. 1929
W
Wallace JonesAmerican basketball player · b. 1926
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Kenvir’s post office has been open since 1921.

Gone or out of use
Yocum Creek Railroad Stationlocale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Kenvir’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBedroom in home of Murray Price, miner,…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Kenvir’s history

What year was Kenvir founded?

In 1919, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Kenvir’s post office opened in 1921.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.