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History · East Kingston

East Kingston’s post office opened in 1886, and 80% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 2000.

1886first post office
0on the National Register
80%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How East Kingston began

When was East Kingston founded?

1886

The East Kingston post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 285 in 20002020 census: 277140 years
Founding year: the first East Kingston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about East Kingston’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of East Kingston are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18984 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1980. Watch East Kingston change.Old housesHalf of East Kingston’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start East Kingston’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how East Kingston’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

East Kingston on the map, 1898 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Kingston. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

East Kingston on the 1898 USGS mapEast Kingston on the 1934 USGS mapEast Kingston on the 1963 USGS mapEast Kingston on the 1980 USGS map1898Rhinebeck sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Kingston.

The story

How East Kingston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of East Kingston.

Read it all →

St. Colman's Church was built in 1874 by Rev. M.C. O'Farrell of Rondout. The church is constructed of stone and brick and in the Gothic style and seats about 250 parishioners. In 1892, an annex was added by Dr. Burtsell of Rondout. In 1904 the mission became a parish of the Archdiocese of New York. Rev. Robert A. Weir was appointed the first resident pastor.

in 2015 the parish of St. Colman merged with Saint Catherine Laboure Church in Lake Katrine, but continues to offer weekly Mass.

ChaptersSt. Colman's Church

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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.
Add from your album
People over time

East Kingston, census by census

010020030020002020Peak: 285

Between 276 and 285 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on East Kingston’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to East Kingston

Nobody well known was born in East Kingston itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Peter BogdanovichAmerican film director · b. 1939
R
Rufus WainwrightAmerican-Canadian singer-songwriter and composer · b. 1973
Irving FisherAmerican economist and statistician · b. 1867
Joseph MazzelloAmerican actor · b. 1983
John GloverAmerican actor · b. 1944
Josh GreenGovernor of Hawaii since 2022 · b. 1970
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Kingston48 historic placesA+Ulster1 historic placeC+

Questions about East Kingston’s history

What year was East Kingston founded?

The East Kingston post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.