Kenton’s post office opened in 1834, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #31 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 209 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1840.
The Kenton post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1845. Another post office, McArthur (1833), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 299 in 18402020 census: 7,947192 years
How historic is Kenton?
A+
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Kenton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1845.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kenton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kenton is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #31 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kenton’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kenton’s 275 sits above most of its state (97% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 211 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1845 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 Kenton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Kenton, building by building, 1888–1911
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.
Kenton was originally the site of Fort McArthur, erected in 1812 by Colonel Duncan McArthur as one of the forts along the line of General William Hull's march against the British headquarters at Fort Detroit during the War of 1812.
In 1845, Kenton was incorporated as a village; it became a city in 1886. The city was named after frontiersman Simon Kenton.
The city began as a center for agricultural trade, then in the late 19th century, developed industry common to America of the time. From 1890 to 1952, Kenton was home to the Kenton Hardware Company, manufacturers of locks, cast-iron toys, and the very popular Gene Autry toy cap guns.
Passages that mention Kenton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Biographical sketches of General Nathaniel Massie, General Duncan McArthur, Captain William Wells, and General Simon Kenton1852 · page 252Read the page →
Read the text
1788. The settlements continued to increase around Kenton's station, although the Indians continued to harass them. The scouting parties of the whites occasionally fell in with straggling parties of Indians, .and frequent skirmishes ensued during the year. On one occasion the Indians came near Kenton's station, and stole a great number of horses. Kenton raised a party and pursued them. The Indians crossed the Ohio near the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Biographical sketches of General Nathaniel Massie, General Duncan McArthur, Captain William Wells, and General Simon Kenton1852 · page 251Read the page →
Read the text
predatory incursions ; sometimes stealing horses, at other times killing some of the inhabitants. As Kenton's settlement was a kind of outpost for the settlements around Paris and Lexington, the people of the latter settlements always lent them a helping hand. Kenton sent word to Col.
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
Kenton, 1833 to 1915
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 Kenton post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1845.
How does Kenton rank for history?
Kenton is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #31 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Kenton?
4 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Hardin County Courthouse (listed 1979, the first), and 2 historic districts, the North Main-North Detroit Street Historic District and the Kenton Courthouse Square Historic District, with 209 contributing buildings. 211 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Kenton?
34% of Kenton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, 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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