Kelleys Island’s post office opened in 1852, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
Most of Kelleys Island was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 31 buildings.
How Kelleys Island began
When was Kelleys Island founded?
The Kelleys Island post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name.
3 listings protect 32 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Architectural styles listings
All 3 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Kelleys Island’s post office has been open since 1852.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Kelleys Island’s history
What year was Kelleys Island founded?
The Kelleys Island post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Kelleys Island?
Three places: the Inscription Rock (listed 1973), the Kelleys Island South Shore District (1975) and the Louis Beatty House (1984).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Where this page comes from
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 the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.