Author: Charles Dieterich

Kingston is Busy This Autumn (2023)

Community groups and historic sites are making Kingston a destination this fall. (click on event for details)

Continuing: Rockingham Tours

Rockingham State Historic Site tours resume, pre-registration is required. See https://www.rockingham.net/visitor-information for details. Rocky Hill Kingston Road.

Until Nov. 24: South Brunswick Art Show

“Memorable Places,” the Fall 2023 Art Show of the South Brunswick Arts Commission at Municipal Building 8:30AM- 4PM through November 24, 2023 Free and open to the public. (Monmouth Junction)

This show features the Princeton Nursery Lands as one of the township’s memorable places. More information at www.sbarts.org

Sept 30 FPNL Public Lands Day (change)

New Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023, 2 to 4 PM (postponed from 9/23) Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands is celebrating National Public Lands Day with a cleanup at the Mapleton Preserve on Saturday Sept. 30 from 2 to 4 PM Pre-register at http://fpnl.org/

Oct 14 Cemetery Tales, Kingston Cemetery

Join members of the Kingston Presbyterian Church at Kingston’s historic graveyard on Church St. for a Saturday, mid-day remembrance of those buried in Kingston. Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 2pm

NOTE: In event of rain, talks will be given at the Presbyterian Church on Main Street. (4565 Route 27, Kingston)

https://kingstonpresbyterian.org/events/oct-14th-2023-everyone-is-invited-to-cemetery-tales-a-kpc-300th-anniversary-event/

Meet some of Kingston’s ancestors, as they tell you their story, during an afternoon stroll through KPC’s historic cemetery. The event is free, but an RSVP is requested. call: (609) 921-8895 or email: kingstonpresnj@gmail.com

Oct. 15 Pancake Breakfast– Kingston Vol. Fire Co.

Sunday Morning- before or after church! It has been a few years since this many-decade old tradition was last offered. Come 8AM-1PM at the Kingston Fire House. Good food, good community, show our volunteers how much we support them. This year you can reserve tickets, or make a donation, at https://kvfc-breakfast.cheddarup.com

Poster Full Size Image

The Fire Company regularly provides space for KHS public meetings. We thank them for their part in community building. Learn more about the Kingston Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 (and directions and how to become a firefighter) at https://kingstonfireco.com/

Oct 21 South Brunswick Twp. History Day 11 AM

Presented by the South Brunswick Township Historical Society. A Saturday “Scavenger Hunt” encourages groups to visit locations across the township over a three hour period from 11 AM to 2 PM, with a birthday cake at Woodlot Park at 2:30 PM.

The Kingston Historical Society will be participating in this Saturday mid-day event. Tours and docents will at the Kingston Bridge, the D&R Canal Locktender’s House on the Delaware and Raritan Canal, and the State Park Headquarters at the Princeton Nursery Lands on Mapleton Road, as well as the home of Kingston’s 300 year old church community, the Presbyterian Church on Main Street.

See more information and download a “passport” at https://sbpl.info/history-day-scavenger-hunt/

line drawing of Kingston Presbyterian Church with modern steeple
Visit the Kingston Presbyterian Church…

Oct 21 KGA Fall Foliage Walk (updated)

“Seeds, Nuts, & Whirlygigs” Kingston Greenways is hosting a 1.5 mile family-friendly Saturday afternoon stroll admiring fall colors and exploring methods that trees use to spread into new territories.
Meet at the D&R Canal State Park Headquarters 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston at 3 PM.
See kingstongreenways.org for more details

Nov 14 KHS Annual Meeting Tuesday Evening

Local author Markus McParland will speak on his new book about Kingston at 7:30 Tuesday Nov 14 at the Kingston Fire House on Heathcote Brook Road.

“Community Collection for Kingston, NJ” is a book compiled by Markus McParland for the benefit of the Kingston Historical Society.

We plan to have the talk available online as well as in person at the Kingston Fire House.

Nov 23 (new) Thanksgiving Day Hike

Join the Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands for a mid-morning all-ages “ramble” around the Mapleton Preserve. Check fpnl.org for details as the day approaches (and photos from last year!)

Dec 3 Holiday Tree Lighting– Sunday

Come down to the Locktender’s House! The Kingston Historical Society, with help from the Kingston Womens Chorus will brighten the canal at our traditional tree lighting. Event will be at 4:30 PM. Dress warmly!

19th Century view of Kingston lock with telegraph building

Kingston Tavern Walk 2023 Video

Taverns of Kingston, A Saturday Afternoon walk led by George Luck, Jr. on May 6, 2023

Half way between New York and Philadelphia, Kingston, New Jersey was a natural place for inns and taverns for travelers. The first inn/tavern was established by Henry Greenland in 1683 on the west side of the Millstone River; subsequent taverns/inns were all on the east side.

The two hour walk was led by lifetime Kingston resident (and KHS Vice President) George Luck, Jr. George is frequent speaker on Kingston history, both in character as a historical figure, or as himself.

We started at the Kingston Presbyterian Church parking lot (4565 NJ Route 27), then proceeded down Main Street (Route 27) toward the D&R Canal. On the way George points out the sites of the various former inns and taverns that once made Kingston an important and busy stopping place for travelers as well as a gathering place for locals from colonial times, through the Revolutionary War, the early republic, the Lincoln Highway and today.

The talk ends at Eno Terra Restaurant, formerly “The Kings Inn” and then “The Winepress” The video is 70 minutes. Video and Audio by Charlie Dieterich, Post-Production by Doug Miller.

Maps at the end of the video are from the Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/
and The Story Of New Jerseys Civil Boundaries 1608–1968; John F. Snyder, 1969 reprinted by New Jersey Geological Survey 2004.
https://archive.org/details/The-Story-of-New-Jerseys-Civil-Boundaries-1608-1968-Snyder

Images are from various Kingston Historical Society collections.

The Kingston Historical Society thanks Archive.org for hosting our community video. The video can be downloaded from their website https://archive.org/details/@khsnj

Video File rights: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Kingston Picnic 2023 seeks Volunteers

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Village of Kingston has celebrated with a community gathering at the end of the summer.

Volunteer…

It is a chance for folks in our community organizations to show off, and for neighbor to meet neighbor. We usually have some music, and maybe some games.

The Kingston Historical Society and the Kingston Village Advisory Committee are looking for other organizations and individuals who are willing to help make the Kingston picnic an annual event open to the entire community.

So far we are looking for volunteers… by mid-summer we hope to have a general invite for everyone in the greater Kingston community.

Want to learn more and volunteer? Fill out our form HERE

khsnj.org/picnic/

Picnic 2022 revitalized an old Kingston Tradition (Laurel Ave school field)

Lock-Tender’s House Opens With New Display

The History Room at the Delaware and Raritan Canal Kingston Lock will re-open for the season on April 1st.

Hours are 10 AM to 4 PM on Saturday and Sunday.

The displays in the History Room include a tribute to the Kingston Presbyterian Church– a vital part of the village for 300 years.

HERE is more about KPC’s celebration year

And HERE is a link to the June 3 community celebration

Kingston History Mystery Added

To promote interest in the history of Kingston, NJ and to foster research skills, we present our first “Kingston History Mystery” at our dedicated webpage. All are welcome to propose answers. To propose an answer, fill out the form on that page. We will verify identities before posting results at the end of the month.

Our first mystery involves dating a photograph of Kingston. Good luck!

https://khsnj.org/mystery

Supplies
Get out your gumshoes and magnifying glass!

Community Project Digs History

Last fall Markus McParland came to the Kingston Historical Society with a proposal. As a school project he wanted to do research on Kingston’s history.

Since that time he’s found hundreds of new items and stories related to Kingston’s past. He recently put out a call to the community, placing these posters around town:

He recently visited a trustee’s meeting and shared some of his work. We at the historical society wish him luck as he completes the project!

And his dad, Glenn McParland, has joined the Kingston Historical Society as a trustee!

Take a look at this article in the Franklin Reporter!

http://franklinreporter.com/kingston-teen-searching-for-village-history/

Kingston Presbyterian 300th Year

2023 is an anniversary year.

Along the trading routes of the Lenape people, the village of Kingston began to be home to some Dutch, English, and Scotch-Irish settles around 1675.
It wouldn’t be until 1723 that there would be a formal declaration of a village church.
Settlers gathered in faith inside homes, and then in a log cabin along the Millstone river. The faithful grew into a gathered community and took a charter to affirm publicly what it had grown into—the worshipping body of the Kingston community.

By the time of the church’s official charter, January 21, 1723, the church had already moved up from the river, having acquired land from Jedediah Higgins sometime before his death in 1715.
The church was built on land which is now Kingston Presbyterian’s cemetery; the graves grew in number around it, as was the custom of the day.
In 1852, the community moved from the cemetery to its present position. For three centuries Kingston Presbyterian Church has sought to love God and love their neighbors, all to God’s glory.

Throughout 2023 the church will celebrate. The whole Kingston community and neighbors are invited to share in the festivities.

Rev Sharyl M Dixon Kingston Presbyterian Church

The congregation has scheduled many events for the anniversary year 2023

  • January 21st 300th Charter Luncheon
  • January 22nd Kick off of 300th Anniversary Worship with Quilt Presentation
  • January 29th Annual Meeting
  • March 5th Chili Cookoff Lunch
  • April 9th Easter
  • May 21st Welcome Home Worship, Welcoming John & Shirley Heinsohn, and others
  • June 3rd Historical Society Conversation and Refreshments
  • June 24th Blueberry Festival
  • July 29th Vacation Bible School Worship and Picnic
  • September 17th Friendship Sunday and Celebration of 50years + members
  • October 14th Cemetery Tales
  • October 15th Worship in the First Church in Cemetery
  • October 28th Friends For Health In Haiti Luncheon
  • November 19th Thanksgiving Service and Time Capsule
  • Dec 24th Candlelight Christmas Eve Service

Locktender’s House Closed for Winter 2022-2023

Public access to the Kingston Locktender’s House is available from April to November each year. In the winter months of December, January and February we are open only for special events and for members and archivists to work on research and improvements.

If you’d like to help with archiving or helping with display areas, please contact us, we are glad to have the help!

For interest in the Archiving team use our interest form LINK HERE

Come to the Holiday Tree Lighting LINK HERE (or other winter events to-be-announced)

Contact us via mail or email LINK HERE

Until Spring, enjoy our web pages and browse our posts archive:

Volunteer!