Kenton Post Office
Main St., Kenton, DEThe Kenton Post Office was built in 1881 by Francis Greenwell. The transfer of title in 1881, from James Williams to Francis Greenwell, specifically state that the costs of erecting the building were not to incur by Williams. Apparently, Greenwell was building the store as he was making settlements on the land.
The building was intended for and first used as a small store leased to shopkeepers by Greenwell who owned the building on either side of the shop. It was not until early in this century that the Post Office was transferred to this building. The upper floor remains in use as a residence.
At present, the Kenton Post Office serves as the social center for the town as it is the one building that residents must come into. More importantly, the building is an important visual reminder of the economic prosperity that maintained the town from after the Civil War till the end of the nineteenth century. Its small-scale, and incorporation of Italianate details, make it the only commercial building of its type in town. As such, it is being nominated under Criterion C for its use of the Italianate style, and under Criterion A for its association with the once vibrant commercial sector in the town of Kenton.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.