Kenansville, NC

Kenansville is a small town located in the southeastern corner of Johnston County, North Carolina. The population was 1,857 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The town was founded in 1892 by J.D. Kenan and his brother-in-law A.C. Moore on land that Moore had purchased from John Johnston III, father of then-governor James D. Johnston (1868-1941). The town was named for Dr. James Dickson Kenan (1837-1910), a physician and politician who served as governor of North Carolina from 1889 to 1891 and as United States Senator from 1893 to 1897.

The early economy of Kenansville depended heavily on tobacco farming and milling; however, with the decline in tobacco production after World War II, the town has diversified its economy into tourism and manufacturing services such as furniture making and welding. Today, Kenansville is home to several businesses including a bed & breakfast inn, a restaurant/bar called "The Pub", two antique stores, an art gallery operated by local artist Kathy Brownlee Smith, a yarn shop operated by local crafter Nancy Gentry Henson (whose husband also operates an auto body shop), two banks (one locally owned and one regional bank), two pharmacies (one locally owned and one regional chain), three churches (including a Baptist church which serves as headquarters for the statewide Baptist Convention), two public schools (one elementary school serving grades K-5; one middle school serving grades 6-8; and one high school serving grades 9-12) as well as several private schools including Stonewall Jackson High School which serves students from all over eastern Johnston County as well as parts of neighboring Dare County due to its large enrollment capacity.), an ice cream parlor/café called "Snowy's", several parks including Riverside Park along the Neuse River which features a playground built in memory of Townson resident Ashley Nicole Holtzclaw who died in December 2013 at age 10 after being struck by a car while crossing Route 1 near her home; Townson Park along Main Street featuring tennis courts, basketball courts, horseshoe pits, picnic areas and an equestrian center operated by Johnston County Agricultural Extension Service; Heritage Park off Highway 70 featuring hiking trails through wooded areas with views of Lake Lure; Hickory Grove Nature Preserve off Highway 70 adjacent to Hickory Grove Elementary School which features nature exhibits open during regular school hours; East End Park adjacent to East End Elementary School which includes baseball fields, softball fields, playgrounds ,a pond stocked with fish for fishing ,a football field ,and tennis courts ;and finally West End Park adjacent to West End Elementary School which includes soccer fields ,a skate park ,a basketball court ,and tennis courts .

There are also numerous privately owned cemeteries located throughout Kenansville including Hillcrest Cemetery located just east of downtown on Main Street next to Townson Park ;Oakwood Cemetery located just north of downtown on Highway 70 opposite Hickory Grove Nature Preserve ;Oakwood Memorial Gardens located just south of downtown on Upham Road across from East End Elementary School ;Baptist Memorial Cemetery located just west of downtown on South Central Avenue across from Stonewall Jackson High School ;First Presbyterian Church Cemetery located behind First Presbyterian Church at 301 South Central Avenue ;Johnston Memorial Cemetery located behind Johnston Memorial United Methodist Church at 401 South Central Avenue ;Moore Family cemetery located behind Moore Family Reformed Church at 501 South Central Avenue ;Eastview Cemetery adjacent to Eastview Elementary School at 801 Eastview Drive ;West View Cemetery adjacent to West View Elementary School at 901 West View Drive . There are also numerous private residences scattered throughout Kenansville including those belonging to celebrities such as country music singer Tim McGraw who owns property near Snowy's ice cream parlor/café ;former NBA player Charles Barkley who owns property near Riverside Park close to where Ashley Holtzclaw was killed while crossing Route 1 near her home six years ago this month; actor Don Cheadle who owns property next door to Charles Barkley's house overlooking Riverside Park ;actor Woody Harrelson who owns property next door to Don Cheadle's house overlooking Riverside Park .