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Exmore (Virginia Division of Historic Resources)
An important crossroads town, Exmore was established in 1884 and named for the fact that it was the tenth NYP&N station (X-more) south of Delaware. A commercial center that the highway has bypassed, the town had substantial canning operations and retains a group of wellkept brick and frame houses. On U.S. Business 13 on the south side of Exmore is the Exmore Diner ( ES9.1) (c. 1940, Silk City of Paterson, New Jersey). Preston Kellam, owner of a produce trucking company, spied the diner in New Jersey in 1953 and wired home for $5,000 to purchase it as an addition to a truck stop. It is virtually intact, the only modification being the roadside sign. The monitor-style roof, suggesting that of a railroad car, is a feature that disappeared in the 1950s from diners made by Silk City. The stainless steel and porcelain enamel exterior panels are complemented by the neon-lit clock. The interior is well preserved down to the tile on the floor, the stainless steel back bar, and the high-back oak booths.