FYI: Bicycle route under State Route 27 is underwater from September Nor’easter.
Route 27 underpass temporarily flooded.
Category: kingston
News or events in Kingston which we participate in or promote
2026 Five Canal Houses-Kingston
Photos from the Kingston Locktender’s House open house, part of the D&R Canal “5 Canal House Challenge” on September 13,2026.
This was our first chance to show off our new furniture. It was recently received from the Potts family. We are working on a display in the North Room of the Locktender’s House. This room would have been the family parlor.
The house is decorated, Sharon and Carol prepare for visitors.
Refreshments for those who travel from Port Mercer to East Millstone, or just come to see our displays.
Carol is ready with the “Canal Passport” stamp… how we kept track of folks visiting all five canal houses (see our earlier announcement HERE)
During the day, 50 visitors signed our guest book and got the Kingston Stamp.
After the weather cleared, Charlie demonstrated how the Kingston canal lock worked sitting outdoors, so visitors could see the model and the concrete canal at the same time.
Bob set up a demonstration of the A-frame swing bridge over by the Toll House. He could point to where the swing bridge had been, while demonstrating how the bridge moved.
Thank you to Bob and Linda Barth and all at https://www.canalwatch.org/ for setting this up. While we were busy with fifty visitors, we hear that others had nearly one hundred. If you missed this year’s “challenge” be sure to come next year!
Weekday Towpath Closures Sept-Oct
PARK ADVISORY: Temporary Multiuse Path Closure in Princeton/Kingston Area. Due to a resurfacing project funded through the Recreational Trails Program, a section of the D&R Canal State Park multiuse path will be closed to all use Mondays through Thursdays from Sept. 21 through Oct. 16. The closure will extend between the Kingston Lock/Bridge Tender House off Route 27 in Mercer County and the Millstone Aqueduct in Plainsboro, Middlesex County. The multiuse path will remain open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the closure period. Visitors are asked to plan accordingly and use caution around the work area. For questions, contact the park office at 609-924-5705 or email dandrcanal@dep.nj.gov.
https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/state-park/dr-canal-state-park/
The State Park has announced trail closures south of the Kingston Lock, Monday through Thursdays from Sept 21 to Oct 16. The lock itself is open, and the “Berm Path” on the east side of the canal can be used for walking or bicycling.
This does not change weekend access.
KHS DISPLAY AT REVCON250
South Brunswick Library described REVCON 250 as follows: “Dive into South Brunswick’s Revolutionary past at this all-ages festival of all things Colonial. Enjoy food trucks, beer garden, kids activities, reenactments, history talks, crafts, and more”
Local historical organizations had tables in the air-conditioned new wing of the library. (outside temperature 90F)
We concentrated on Kingston during the American Revolution, with display panels, artifacts, a slide show, and three handouts.
The center panel had three large printouts as well as copies of our Archivist recruiting flier. Full resolution .jpg of the panels (large files) were :
In addition to the large panels we had handouts to start conversations. One listed upcoming events and QR Codes pointing to videos of events. The other was a fanciful invitation to travel in time, meeting General Washington.
PDF versions can be downloaded:
- EXPLORE/CELEBRATE listing videos and upcoming events, and
- “Attn: Time Travelers!” showing times when General George Washington was in Kingston
August 1st open house
The historical society held a short open house following Franklin Township’s hike from Kingston to Rockingham.
We had about 25 visitors that afternoon, including one reenactor (who had also been at Rockingham.) Sharon showed him around.
Sharon also spent some time explaining how a D&R Canal lock worked. Bob M also worked on the event.
Following George Washington’s Footsteps (Rockingham)
The August 1st hike was organized by the Franklin Trails Advisory Committee (Franklin, Somerset County, NJ)
Following George Washington’s Footsteps:
Hike and Tour of Rockingham
Join the Franklin Trails Advisory Committee (TAC) for a combined hike and
historic house tour. Franklin was at the center of the action during the
American Revolution – from the victories at Trenton and Princeton through the
end of the conflict. This special America250 event combines a leisurely hike
with commentary about the area’s importance in the Revolution with a guided
tour of the Rockingham State Historic Site, General Washington’s final
wartime headquarters in Kingston.The hike will be led by Patrick Murray, TAC member and former president of the
Crossroads of the American Revolution Association, and the Rockingham tour
will be provided by Paul Soltis, New Jersey State Parks Historian.
Patrick Murphy from Frankin Trails Committee gives a capsule summary of troop movements through Kingston during the American Revolution.
July 1, 2026 is the 350th anniversary date of division into East and West Jersey
July 1st, 1676 (Old Style) was the date when the English land between the Hudson and Delaware rivers was divided into two colonies. There had been specific land grants, including one to a Mr. Fenwick, but control and governance was not clear so:
“…Quakers William Penn, Gawen Lawrie, Nicholas Lucas and Byllynge became the owners of the rest.’ Since they wished to develop a Quaker colony in ‘Nest Jersey, needed to establish title in view of the Duke‘s failure to recognize Fenwick’s holdings, and wished control of the Delaware River rather than southern Jersey as left by the 1674 boundary, the four latter Quakers arranged to Sign a “Quintipartite Deed” with George Carteret on July l, 1676 to divide New Jersey into East and West Jersey.”*
* According to “The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries, 1606-1968.”, by John P. Snyder First Edition, Bureau of Geology and Topography
Trenton, New Jersey 1969
Reprinted by New Jersey Geological Survey 2004
I believe that we could also celebrate on July 12th, using the New Style calendar.
Link: https://dspace.njstatelib.org/items/72166dee-16ab-4c5e-bdb3-84c4b0fab662
Markus McParland wins Young Historian Award, Scholarship
The Kingston Historical Society congratulates Markus McParland, author of Community Collection for Kingston NJ, a new resource for understanding Kingston, NJ.
On May 27th, 2026, Somerset County Cultural & Heritage Commission awarded Markus the 2026 Young Historian Award.
The event was captured on YouTube:
Markus McParland of Franklin Township was honored for his incredible contributions to local history, including authoring a comprehensive 570-page book detailing the rich history of the village of Kingston, New Jersey. Beyond his extensive writing and research, Markus is dedicated to giving back to the community through regular lectures at local libraries and historical society events.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo7m8SCsCYg
Along with this prestigious recognition, Markus was awarded a $500 scholarship to support his continued academic pursuits.
Markus worked on this project while a student at YingHua School in Kingston, and presented a talk to the Historical Society in 2023:
https://www.khsnj.org/community-collection-for-kingston-nj-2023-video/
The book, is available at Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/community-collection-for-kingston-nj-markus-mcparland/1143512764
He is now a student at Notre Dame High School, in Lawrenceville, NJ.
PS: In 2023 Markus received the following commendation from Franklin
Township, Somerset County:
https://d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net/franklintwpnj/63704bfc-7013-11ed-9024-0050569183fa-f80ed482-43e7-4748-a6dc-f6046c7db524-1697827491.pdf
Markus McParland Commendation
Deputy Mayor Anbarasan presented the following commendation:
WHEREAS, Markus McParland is currently a resident of Franklin Township and a freshman at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, Markus reads, writes and speaks fluent Mandarin and is currently training in Taekwondo where he has earned his 2nd degree Black Belt; and
WHEREAS, as part of his community project, Markus put together articles, stories and photographs resulting in a published 300+ page book on the history of Kingston, entitled “Community Collection for Kingston, NJ”;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Mayor and Council of the Township of Franklin, County of Somerset, State of New Jersey hereby commend and recognize Markus McParland for his exemplary accomplishments and wish him well in his future endeavors.
May 2nd Open House Welcomes Visitors.
The weather was cool and windy, but the Kingston Historical Society archivist crew was able to welcome visitors from Highland Park to Arizona as we demonstrated how a D&R Canal lock worked and how the first swing bridge worked.
This year’s innovation was to bring the model of the canal lock outdoors so visitors could compare it directly with the actual Kingston canal lock.
Visitors could visualize where the miter gates were, and how the boats changed level when the lock chamber filled.
The crew also provided 250th themed decorations and refreshments as well as the demonstrations in our two display rooms.
Charlie Dieterich demonstrates the model of the Kingston Lock made by Paul Kayne in 2001.
The display rooms will be open weekends for self-guided viewing through the summer.
Kingston’s 1999 Parade Video–now online!
https://archive.org/details/kingston-1999-parade
Lots of Kingston fire departments, bands and dignitaries!!
George is preparing a tea time talk for January, 2026 about the overall K1999 effort.
