Penney, J. C., House - Kemmerer, Wyoming
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Rose Red
N 41° 47.675 W 110° 32.180
12T E 538523 N 4627072
The six room J. C. Penney House, Railroad Park, located at J. C. Penney Ave. in Kemmerer, Wyoming is a National Historic Landmark and on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Waymark Code: WM2TX1
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 12/22/2007
Views: 65
I traveled The Oregon Trail with an Elderhostel group from Kansas City/Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon June 13-28, 2007. We traveled to Kemmerer, Wyoming on our way to Montpelier, Idaho on Friday, June 22.
I visited the J.C. Penney store (Mother Store Founded 1902), and, a block away, toured the historic house of James C. Penney (1875-1971), founder of J.C. Penney Company, Inc. April 14, 1902 with the Elderhostel group. The store had a “cash only” policy which proved successful.
James Cash Penney Jr. was born 16 September 1875 in Hamilton, Caldwell County, Missouri, the son of James Cash Penney, Sr. and Mary Frances Paxton Penney. He was the seventh of 12 children.
He was married three times and had five children. In 1899, he married/w Berta Alva Hess Penney with whom he had two sons (she died in 1910), in 1919, he married/2 Mary Hortense Kimball Penney with whom he had one son, Kimball, (she died 1923), and in 1926, he married/3 Caroline B. Autenrieth Penney who was his wife for 45 years and with whom he had two daughters (she died 1992).
The J.C. Penney's first home was restored in 1982 and moved to Penney Avenue near the Triangle, where it is now a museum operated by the J.C. Penney Foundation. It is open during the spring and summer. J.C. Penney's house and the first store are "must" tourist photographs. The six room house is a National Historic Landmark.
Instructions for logging waymark: A photograph is required of you (or your GPS receiver, if you are waymarking solo) and the place.