Kearney dates to 1856, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns · #163 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Most of Kearney was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Its Register listings are the James Brothers' House and Farm and the Claybrook House. Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kearney’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kearney is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #163 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kearney’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kearney’s 1.8 sits near the middle of its state (51% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±2.1 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1856.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Kearney’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1896Sheet 1 of 1
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Sheets
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Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Kearney was unofficially founded in the spring of 1856 by David T. Duncan and W. R. Cave, and was originally called Centerville. Centerville was composed of what is now the southeastern portion of the town. In 1867, John Lawrence began laying out plans for another small settlement around the newly established Kansas City and Cameron Railroad subsidiary of the Hannibal and Saint Joseph Railroad which was to build the Hannibal Bridge establishing Kansas City, Missouri as the dominant city in the region. The president of the railroad was Charles E. Kearney (although there is speculation that it was named after Kearney, Nebraska). The railroad still operates as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway. As they grew, the two settlements of Centerville and Kearney were effectively merged, and the town of Kearney, Missouri was officially incorporated in 1869.
Passages that mention Kearney, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Clay County, Missouri1920 · page 205Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Kearney was laid out upon the building of the Hannibal and St. Joe Railroad in the spring of 1867, by John Lawrence. The first house was built by George H. Plitt, on the southwest corner of Washington avenue and Railroad street, fronting the depot on the east. Plitt occupied it as a store room but aftei-wards conducted a hotel. The building was erected before the railroad depot. Plitt was proprietor of a lumber yard and the leading spirit of the place for some time. Perhaps James Hightower had the second store.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Clay County, Missouri1920 · page 204Read the page →
Read the text
What is now the southeastern portion of the town of Kearney was originally called Centerville, and was laid out by David T. Duncan and W. R. Cave in the spring of 1856. Duncan lived on and owned the north half of the site of Centerville. Cave purchased the south half from his father, Uriel Cave, the original owner. The first houses were built by Adam Pence and W. R. Cave and theirs were the first families in the village.
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
Kearney, 1856 to 1996
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1856, according to Wikidata. Kearney’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1870 counted 396 people here.
How does Kearney rank for history?
Kearney is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #163 of 247 in Missouri. 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 Kearney?
Two places: the James Brothers' House and Farm (listed 1972) and the Claybrook House (1981).
How old are the homes in Kearney?
3% of Kearney’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 2002.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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