TopNational Historic Site · 1787–1790Trinity Church and Rectory3949 Route 845Photo: Leonora Enking · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons file
Photo: Leonora Enking · CC BY-SA 2.01historic place on the registers
History of Kingston · Canada’s heritage registers
Kingston’s record starts in 1787 with Trinity Church and Rectory
Kingston’s 1 historic place is of the highest rank. Measured against its size, 2.8 per 10,000 residents puts it ahead of 89% of Canadian towns.
Historic places
1
2.8 per 10,000 residents
Highest designations
1
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings
Oldest building
1787
the first construction date on its record
Homes built before 1961
14%
typical town: 18%
In pictures
Landmarks of Kingston
The photo shows Trinity Church and Rectory, the one place on Kingston’s registers.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Through time
Kingston in old pictures
One picture from before 1950: the oldest view of one of its historic places. It opens full screen with a tap.
1889Public domain or CC0, made before 1950, from Wikimedia Commons; old views of places can be drawings, prints or maps of their time. Each credit opens the image’s page.
The map
Where Kingston’s history is
Every place on the registers inside the town, by its designation.
Highest designations
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The 1, by tier
1 Highest designations
What the map shows is the open record: the federal directory in full, and from provincial or municipal lists only the places Wikidata ties to an encyclopedia article.
Points from Wikidata (Parks Canada’s files carry none) and from Québec’s register, as mapped there.
Highest designations
Kingston’s top designation
National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings, Canada’s highest federal recognition. Each one opens its own page.
Around the town
Within 25 km of Kingston: 22 places on the registers
Among them are 12 National Historic Sites, 6 provincial or municipal listings and 3 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings. Nearest comes St. Luke's Anglican Church, 5.9 km off, in Quispamsis. The record reaches back to 1631 with Fort La Tour, 24 km away.
The 12 nearest, within 25 km
| St. Luke's Anglican ChurchNational Historic Site · 1833–1834 · 5.9 km away, in Quispamsis |
| Rothesay Railway Station (European and North American)National Historic Site · 1858–1861 · 11 km away, in Rothesay |
| Fort NerepisNational Historic Site · 1659–1660 · 21 km away, in Westfield |
| Sand Point LighthouseHeritage Lighthouse · 1898 · 21 km away, in Westfield |
| Cathedral of the Immaculate ConceptionLocal historic place · 1865 · 23 km away, in Saint John |
| St. John's Anglican Church / Stone ChurchNational Historic Site · 1823–1827 · 24 km away, in Saint John |
| Fort HoweNational Historic Site · 1777–1778 · 24 km away, in Saint John |
| Loyalist HouseNational Historic Site · 1810–1818 · 24 km away, in Saint John |
| Saint John County Court HouseNational Historic Site · 1826–1830 · 24 km away, in Saint John |
| Number 2 Mechanics' Volunteer Company Engine HouseNational Historic Site · 1840–1842 · 24 km away, in Saint John |
| Saint John City MarketNational Historic Site · 1874–1877 · 24 km away, in Saint John |
| Admiral Beatty HotelLocal historic place · 24 km away, in Saint John |
Homes by age
Kingston built the most from 1981 to 2000, 41% of today’s homes
Count back from today and half of Kingston’s homes are older than 2001. Homes from before 1961 are 14% of Kingston’s housing, below the typical 18%. New building in Kingston runs at the usual pace: 4.4% of homes from 2016–21, the typical town 4.1%.
14%
Before 1961
26%
1961–80
41%
1981–2000
15%
2001–15
4.4%
2016–21
KingstonTypical town
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Born here
Born in Kingston before the First World War: 3 lives
George Burpee Jones lived longest, to 84, dying in 1950. The earliest is William P. Flewelling, born in 1814. At the other end is J. William Smith, from 1868. Fame, by Wikipedia: George Burpee Jones first, in 3 languages.
William P. Flewelling
George Burpee Jones
J. William Smith
1800182518501875190019251950
George Burpee Jones1866–1950 · Canadian politician
JS
J. William Smith1868–1937 · Canadian politician
WF
William P. Flewelling1814–1875 · Canadian politician
Everyone born in Kingston → Born before 1914 (the page’s periods: Confederation to the First World War). Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s Wikipedia article.
Towns its size
Kingston has the most of 16 towns its size
Towns of 3,600 to 3,600 residents, by places on the registers.
Kingston1
Their median is 0. 14 of them have none.
Neighbours
Kingston and its neighbours
In brief
Kingston in brief
All told, Kingston has 1 historic place, one with the highest designation; Trinity Church and Rectory heads the list. Of the 16 towns closest in size, it has the most historic places. Its history in lives: George Burpee Jones (1866), J. William Smith (1868) and William P. Flewelling (1814). Counted by age, only 14% of its homes come from before 1961, against 18% in the typical town. The other figures are unremarkable: its one place was designated in 1977.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Map points. Federal places get their map points from Wikidata, since Parks Canada’s files carry none; they are as mapped there.
- People and events. Persons of national historic significance come with no location; a town gets one only by birthplace (name and both life years agreeing) or by one of its own places that bears the name and whose record tells the story. Events, which can’t be tied, are left out.
- The federal register. Federal places come from Parks Canada’s directory, which counts National Historic Sites, federal heritage buildings, stations and lighthouses; their statements are the register’s own.
- Protection. National historic designation honours a place but binds only federal owners; a private building’s protection depends on its province or municipality.
- Provincial and municipal lists. Outside Québec, provinces’ and municipalities’ heritage registers aren’t open data; their places are known only through Wikidata items with a register number, and only those with an encyclopedia article get a page.
- The tiers. The highest designations are National Historic Sites, Classified Federal Heritage Buildings and Québec’s classements; then come the other federal designations; then provincial and local listings.
- The grade. This page gives no grade; history doesn’t count toward a Canadian town’s letter.
Questions about Kingston’s history
What is the oldest building in Kingston?
Trinity Church and Rectory (National Historic Site): the first construction date on its record is 1787.
Which places in Kingston have the highest designation?
Just one: Trinity Church and Rectory.
How old are the homes in Kingston?
Before 1961: 14% of its homes; the typical town has 18%.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).