The Kenockee Township post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Kenockee (1856), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,405170 years
How historic is Kenockee Township?
C
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Kenockee Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Kenockee Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kenockee Township is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kenockee Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kenockee Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Kenockee Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Kenockee Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1961Avoca sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Kenockee Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Kenockee, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Kenockee
1856–1903
Avoca
1890–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Avoca
Gone or out of use
Abbottsford StationlocaleAvoca StationlocaleKenockee Post Officepost officeTackaberry Airportairport
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Kenockee Township
Kenockee SchoolOur Lady of Mount Carmel
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Kenockee Township post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Kenockee Township rank for history?
Kenockee Township is more historic than 32% 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.
How old are the homes in Kenockee Township?
12% of Kenockee Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 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.