Most of Mount Vernon was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 22 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1916 on.
From Mount Vernon’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Mount Vernon began
When was Mount Vernon founded?
1813
The Mount Vernon post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1818. Another post office, Langford (1884), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 2,453213 years
How historic is Mount Vernon?
B+
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Mount Vernon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1818.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mount Vernon’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mount Vernon is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mount Vernon’s overall grade.
Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Mount Vernon’s 125 sits above most of its state (71% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 30 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1818 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Mount Vernon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area was first settled by European Americans in 1790 after the American Revolutionary War, around a feature called Spout Springs. Much of the area was originally swampland. The settlement was named for George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. The Wilderness Road was constructed to this town in 1792, and this was the principal settlement when Rockcastle Co. was created in 1810.
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.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Mount Vernon’s post office has been open since 1813. Another post office, Langford, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Mount Vernon
1813–today
Langford
1884–1914
Renfro Valley
1940–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Renfro Valley
1cemetery inside Mount Vernon
Elmwood
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Mount Vernon’s history
What year was Mount Vernon founded?
The Mount Vernon post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1818.
How does Mount Vernon rank for history?
Mount Vernon is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Mount Vernon?
Three places: the Mount Vernon Commercial District (listed 1983), the Bennett Hiatt Log House (1984) and the John Lair House and Stables (1995).
How old are the homes in Mount Vernon?
5% of Mount Vernon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1978.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1916
2011
2011
2007
2004