E.A. Kenyon Mill Store

University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title:	E.A. Kenyon Mill Store
Date range:	1873-1944
Creator:	E.A. Kenyon Mill Store (Carolina, R.I.)
Extent:	3 linear feet, 6 box(es)
Abstract:	This collection contains the financial records, account ledgers, and post office records of the general store in Carolina, R.I., which also housed the post office.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number:	Mss. Gr. 103

Scope & content

The records of the E. A. Kenyon Mill Store were recovered in the abandoned Carolina Mills in Carolina, Rhode Island in 1982. They were then deposited in Special Collections at the University of Rhode Island Library. Fire and mold growth have left the collection incomplete and in poor condition.

The records were organized into the three following series:

Series I, Financial Records, 1866-1894, primarily contains the statements of goods purchased by Kenyon from other companies. There are also some checks and receipts from those suppliers.

Series II, Account Ledgers, 1857-1946, contains the records of purchases and sales made by the mill store.

Series III, Post Office, 1873-1946, contains records accrued during postal business, including registers of money orders and quarterly reports.

Arrangement

The records are organized into the three following series:

• 1. Financial Records
• 2. Account Ledgers
• 3. Post Office

Historical note

The general store in Carolina, Rhode Island, which also housed the post office and a grain outlet, was first established as a company store by the Carolina Mill Company circa 1837. Edwin A. Kenyon of E. A. Kenyon and Co. made two attempts at running the business. It is not known when he first bought the business from Carolina Mills. However, he sold the store and the post office back to the Carolina Mill Company in 1871 and bought them back again in the mid 1890s.

William McVay began operating the store in 1901 and was acting postmaster. In 1905 he became postmaster. His successors were Harold and Becky Burdick, who ran the store until it closed in 1951.

Sources for more information include:

Charlestown Bicentennial Book Committee. Reflections of Charlestown, Rhode Island 1876-1976. Westerly, RI: The Utter Company, 1976.

Richmond Bicentennial Commission. Driftways into the Past. Westerly, RI: The Richmond Historical Society, 1977.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Open for research.
Use of the materials:	Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation:	Records of the E.A. Kenyon Mill Store, 1873-1944, Mss. Gr. 103, University of Rhode Island Library, University Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	University Archives and Special Collections 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 Tel: 401-874-4632 email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The records of the E. A. Kenyon Mill Store were recovered in the abandoned Carolina Mills in Carolina, Rhode Island in 1982. They were then deposited in Special Collections at the University of Rhode Island Library.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Kathe J. Ellison.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Hailie D. Posey 2009 June 22, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 April 10
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory

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Inventory