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History · Kingston

Kingston’s post office opened in 1826, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 6 old photos and papers.

1826first post office
2on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Kingston’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Kingston began

When was Kingston founded?

1826

The Kingston post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 7,825200 years
Founding year: the first Kingston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Kingston’s past

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

Deep rootsA post office since 1826: 200 years of Kingston.Mystery photos6 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Kingston, 1789 to 1977

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1789Born hereStephen Champlin is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1811Born hereElisha R. Potter is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1904Born hereVictor L. Butterfield is born here
  7. 1977Born hereMartha Fierro is born here
Help out

Start Kingston’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo6 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewKingston Inn: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Kingston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kingston.

Read it all →

Kingston was first settled in the late seventeenth century. Originally known as Little Rest, the name was changed to Kingston in 1826. It was the county seat for Washington County (formerly Kings County) from 1752 until 1894, when a new courthouse was built in nearby West Kingston. West Kingston is also the site of the historic Kingston Railroad Station which opened in June 1875. The station is served by Amtrak on its Northeast Corridor.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Kingston, decade by decade

Date unknown6 to date
Kingston InnDate?Kingston InnFayerweather House, Mooresfield Road (State Route 138) & Kingston RoadDate?Fayerweather House, Mooresfield Road (State Route 138…The Glebe, Tower Hill RoadDate?The Glebe, Tower Hill RoadJoseph Reynolds House, Forge RoadDate?Joseph Reynolds House, Forge RoadGilbert Stuart House, Hammond Hill RoadDate?Gilbert Stuart House, Hammond Hill RoadSolomon Carpenter House, 144 South RoadDate?Solomon Carpenter House, 144 South Road
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Kingston Inn
Retake this viewKingston Inn

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Kingston’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 52 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
52
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Kingston

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Martha FierroEcuador Chess player, chess journalist · b. 1977
Elisha R. PotterAmerican politician · b. 1811
Stephen ChamplinUS Navy officer · b. 1789
V
Victor L. ButterfieldAcademic administrator · b. 1904
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Wakefield-Peace Dale5 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Kingston’s history

What year was Kingston founded?

The Kingston post office opened in 1826, 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 the Library of Congress (6), Wikipedia and Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.