Kenworth Historic District

The Kenworth neighborhood began to take shape south of the Western North Carolina Railroad in 1913, when a number of prominent local businessmen formed the Hickory Land and Development Company. Soon after incorporation the company began to acquire substantial acres of farmland in the city's southeast section. By the end of 1913 a parcel containing approximately 50 acres had been pieced together for development as Kenworth, Hickory's first subdivision.

The Hickory Land and Development Company turned to the Charlotte firm of Blair and Drane to design Kenworth. Blair and Drane had been involved in the expansion and design of Dilworth and Myers Park and applied many of the design techniques incorporated in these areas in their plan for Kenworth. As a result, Kenworth's design was boldly different from any other residential neighborhood in the city. The winding roads, the picturesque park-like atmosphere, and location at the southeastern fringe of the corporate limits were in sharp contrast to the development patterns of earlier periods.

The platting of the neighborhood and Blair and Drane's design work in 1913 was, in retrospect untimely. The United States' entry into World War One slowed development in Kenworth. With the City's resources given over to the war effort, Hickory and the nation as a whole virtually stopped building. It was not until 1920 that demand, Kenworth's location, and the relatively low cost for a lot combined to transform Kenworth virtually overnight from vacant lots to single-family dwellings.

Kenworth became home for both newcomers and long-time residents and at least for a number of years was one of the most popular residential areas in the City among younger businessmen and their families. Their conscious selection of homesites in Kenworth suggests that they identified themselves with the relatively new concepts of suburban planning and neighborhod design embodied in the Blair and Drane plan. The fact that stone pillars had been used to mark the area's principal entrance contributed to neighborhood's sense of unity and desirability.

Today, Kenworth emcompasses only about 1/5 of the original Kenworth plat - much of the original plat was never developed due to the area's rugged topography. While much of Kenworth has suffered a general decline since the 1920's, the area remains an important element in the City's early twentieth century history and a showplace of the diversity of the bungalow type architecture.

Kenworth was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Guide Map of Historic Kenworth

Structure List (with Principal Structures Pictured)

1. (former) Christ Lutheran Church (1926) -- Erected and dedicated as the Christ Lutheran Church, the present Mount Zion Baptist Church is a small, late Neo-Gothic, brick veneered edifice. This church, the (former) Christ Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, was the congregation's second house of worship in Hickory. Organized in 1903, their history dates to 1894.
2. Kenworth Elementary School (1913) -- The two-story school is a long and narrow brick structure capped by a somewhat irregular low hip roof. Two additional wings were added in 1919 and 1952. Built to provide a much needed school for the growing school age population, this school was once known as the Hickory Graded School No. 2 and later the South School for its location in the southern part of the City. It was remodeled for elderly housing in 1990.
3. Nicholson-Abernethy House (1922) -- This one-story triple-pile gable front bungalow was erected just inside the stone piers marking the entrance to Kenworth. Principal features include a brick veneer, a large attached porch with a wraparound patio and half-timbered and stuccoed gable ends. Dr. W. H. Nicholson, a physician and local businessman sold the home to Robert Glenn Abernethy, head of Abernethy Transfer and Storage Company for many years.
4. Reveley-Anderson House (c.1922) -- Bungalow.
5. Andrew J. Borders House (c. 1940) -- Frame House
6. Nicholson-Prince House (c. 1940) -- Bungalow
7. Katharine Carr House (c. 1923) -- Bungalow
8. Whisnant-Reynolds House (c. 1920) -- Bungalow
9. Speas-Duval House (1921) -- This is a one-story, weatherboarded and wood shingled bungalow. A broad front gable roof on the main, east elevation shelters an engaged porch from which projects a smaller, gabled porch pavilion stretching across two-thirds of the facade. Dr. William Paul Speas, Sr. was a local doctor who sold the house to J. B. Duval. Duval was superintendent and manager of the Brookford Mills.

   

10. Clyde L. Herman House (c. 1922) -- One and one-half stories in height, this large and impressive assymmetrically massed bungalow has a tin shingled roof. Clyde Herman was vice-president of the First National Bank of Hickory.

    

11. Carrier-Boyd House (1915) -- This is a one and one-half story, three bay, weatherboarded and wood shingled bungalow. John G. Carrier was superintent of the Hickory Manufacturing Company. In 1964, Carrier sold the house to Bidwell W. Boyd, who was a local feed and seed merchant.
12. Lyerly-Shuford House (1924) -- Bungalow

    

13. Kennedy-Setzer House (1921) -- This is a two-story Colonial Revival style dwelling. K. K. Kennedy purchased this lot from the Hickory Land and Development Company in 1921. He was the superintendent of the Catawba Creamery Company. In 1921, Kennedy sold the house to P.C. Setzer who operated a store known as Setzer and Dallas in Hickory.
14. John N. Bohannon House (1923) -- German Siding
15. Annie McDowell Ervin House (c. 1920) -- Weatherboard
16. Joseph H. Hardy House (c. 1948) -- Frame House
17. Fox-Duhling House (c. 1920) -- Bungalow

    

18. Payne-Bothwell-Scheller House (c. 1921) -- This is a large and impressive brick veneered and wood shingled bungalow. This house features an engaged porch below flared eaves, a gable rood center dormer, and a large gable roof rear wing. The first owner was Herman Payne, manager of Hickory Ice and Coal Company. The house was later owned by Robert Lee Bothwell, manager of Elliott Knitting Mills. He sold it to R. J. (Hans) Scheller, who was associated with Lyerly Full Fashioned Hosiery Mill.
19. Huffman-Henry House (1921) -- Frame House
20. Eugene C. Ivey House (c. 1920) -- Bungalow
21. Bowman-Lowrey House (c. 1924) -- Bungalow

    

22. William P. Bowman House (c. 1923) -- This finely scaled and crafted one and one-half story frame bungalow has an expansive engaged wraparound porch and large shed roofed front dormer. Vinyl siding was added to the house in 1996. Frederick Otto Bock was associated with the Hickory Sheet Metal Company.