Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 18 buildings. Most of Kenansville was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1880.
Kenansville dates its founding to 1735 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Kenansville’s history is told.
Peaked at 1,149 in 2000; 770 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Kenansville’s Wikipedia page.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereRuth Faison Shaw is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyFrom Wikipedia’s history of Kenansville.
The Needham Whitfield Herring House and Kenansville Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Kenansville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Kenansville.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
In 1735, according to Wikidata. Kenansville’s post office opened in 1825, and the census of 1880 counted 376 people here.
Two places: the Kenansville Historic District (listed 1975) and the Needham Whitfield Herring House (1994).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (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) 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.
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