Kenmore’s post office opened in 1891, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #525 of 758 in New York. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Kenmore post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1899.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kenmore’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kenmore is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #525 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kenmore’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kenmore’s 3.3 sits below most of its state (30% of New York towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1899 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 Kenmore’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The village of Kenmore was incorporated in 1899 from part of the town of Tonawanda. It is known as "Buffalo's First Suburb".
Louis Eberhardt, known as the "father of Kenmore", opposed naming the village "Eberhardt" after himself. He was responsible for buying farmland and subdividing the property into a suburban development. The building which is portrayed on the village logo is the Eberhardt Mansion, located at the corner of Delaware Avenue and Kenmore Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Kenmore Village Hall was listed in 2013 as the Tonawanda Municipal Building.
Passages that mention Kenmore, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Kenmore. Erie County, New York1926Read the page →
Read the text
To all whom it may concern Take Notice That a proposition for the incorporation of the Village of Kenmore has been received by the undersigned John K. Patton, as Supervisor of the Town of Tonawanda, that at the Public School House situated at the junction of Delaware Avenue and Old Delaware Road in such territory and on the 28th day of July 1899 at 10 o'clock in the forenoon of the said day, a hear-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Kenmore. Erie County, New York1926Read the page →
Read the text
On April 23rd, 1923 nineteen business men of Kenmore met at Neustadter's dry goods store and organized under the name of the "Kenmore Retail Merchants Association." Its aims and objects were to protect and advance the business and civic interests of the village of Kenmore, foster a spirit of commercial harmony and establish a bureau of credit information for the benefit of its members. Henry J. Ebling was unanimously chosen for President; Robert K. House,
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
Kenmore, 1894 to 1964
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Kenmore post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1899.
How does Kenmore rank for history?
Kenmore is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #525 of 758 in New York. 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 Kenmore?
4 listings: 1 historic district, the Chapel Road Apartment Houses,. 5 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Kenmore?
49% of Kenmore’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1941.
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 (19), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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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