Shaun Eli wrote:

Sure, but this was in a kitchen over the counter. No reason I can
think of to have run two separate wires to the same box. And this
house was built in the sixties, before many of the power-hungry
appliances (food processors, microwave ovens) existed.

By the way, when I said two outlets I meant two separate pieces, for a
total of four places to plug things in. It was a double-wide outlet
box.

Being in a high-use area such as a kitchen is all the more reason to
have it split...certainly not unheard of even if not "routine". Sounds
like it was probably a custom-built home where the howeowner/designer
actually thought about what they were going to put into the kitchen...