Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1839.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Kingston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kingston is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kingston’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kingston’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.7 points). Two sources give 1835.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Kingston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Prior to the arrival of white settlers to the region, the land that would become the Village of Kingston was once home to the Potawatomi tribe. The Potawatomi in this area lived and built their communities on the fertile land surrounding the Kishwaukee River. The United States Government forcibly removed the Potawatomi from the land, moving them westward in 1835, and pioneers quickly occupied the territory. The first settlers to arrive in Kingston would come using a trail made by General Winfield Scott and his army during the Black Hawk War. The establishment of Kingston in 1835 makes it one of the first settled townships in DeKalb County, Illinois. The post office was established in 1837 with Levi Lee as postmaster.
Passages that mention Kingston, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of DeKalb County, Illinois1868 · page 348Read the page →
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Fort Dearborn, or Chicago, in pursuit of Black Hawk's marauding bands, crossed the Fox River near the present site of the village of St Charles, and encamped on the banks of the Kishwaukee in the present town of Kingston. Their camp was made near the outlet of Deer Creek, on lands now belonging to the estate of George L. Wood. The trail which the army made, was broad and plainly marked, and three years later, when the first settlers moved in, coming with
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Portrait and biographical album of DeKalb County, Illinois1885 · page 768Read the page →
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the county is the Kishwaukee River. This stream heads in the town of Shabbona, and flows through the towns of Milan, Afton, De Kalb, Mayfleld, Sycamore, Genoa, Kingston and Franklin; and empties into the Rock River, in Winnebago County. It has several branches, one of which heads in the town of Virgil, Kane County, and flows through Cortland and Sycamore Townships, and enters the main branch in
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Portrait and biographical album of DeKalb County, Illinois1885 · page 767Read the page →
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There were also settlements made in Kingston, Clinton and Mayfield Townships. For a full history of each of the settlements the reader's attention is directed to the various township histories, where the settlement of each is treated in detail. Suffice it to say, in this connection, that when it became known that the Indians were removed settlements were rapidly formed, and in 1837 a county was organized.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
In 1835, according to Wikidata. Kingston’s post office opened in 1839.
How does Kingston rank for history?
Kingston is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Kingston?
21% of Kingston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.7 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1991.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
