The Stony Creek Post Office operated from 15 April 1836 until 15 May 1905 when mail service was discontinued and shifted to Union Ridge in Alamance County. Why the US Postal Service used "Stony" instead of "Stoney" is not known. Perhaps others can help.
Postmasters: James Kerr; John Baynes; Hosea McNeill; George Leath; Jackson G. Pinnix; Confederate postmaster not identified; and Jeremiah A. Lea.
The location of the post office is not known, but, like many others of the time, probably was in a general store in the neighborhood. And, many who operated stores also were farmers. We know, for example, that the last "Stony Creek" postmaster, Jeremiah A. Lea, was a "Dry Goods Merchant," which meant he ran a general store.
I do not know the location of the Jeremiah A. Lea store, but this most likely was the site of the "Stony Creek" Post Office. I do know he lived in the old James Kerr house near Kerr's Chapel Baptist Church and is buried in the church cemetery.
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In 1836, a US post office was established in Stoney Creek, Caswell County, NC, with James Kerr appointed postmaster.
Source: The Weekly Standard (Raleigh, NC), 28 April 1836.
This post office had a sporadic existence:
1836: opened
1852: discontinued
Apparently operated during the Civil War
1865: discontinued
1879: reopened
1905: permanently discontinued (with mail sent to Union Ridge in Alamance County, NC)
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This first postmaster most likely is: James Kerr (1788-1848). He served in that capacity for only a few months (15 April 1836 to 2 August 1836), being replaced by John Baynes. James Kerr owned a store in Stoney Creek, and it may have been in this store the post office operated. Country stores often served as early post offices in rural North Carolina.
The US Post Office named his post office: "Stony Creek." However, the local spelling was "Stoney Creek."
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