The Kingston Historical Society
Kingston, New Jersey
News or events in Kingston which we participate in or promote
An edited video of the June 3, 2023 presentation at the Kingston NJ Presbyterian Church is now available:
Reflections of Our Past, 1723-2023, https://youtu.be/0LLbYYpNJ7E
Speakers are Rev Sharyl M Dixon, pastor
and George Luck, Jr.
introduced by Robert von Zumbusch, president of the Kingston Historical Society.
With presentations by leaders of our three townships.
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/
The Spring 2023 edition of the Kingston Historian is now available as a .pdf for download and viewing HERE.
Topics include
The Kingston Historical Society’s walking tour of Main Street will be held Saturday, April 29th. George Luck, Jr will share his knowledge of the history of Kingston’s Inns and Taverns.
For more Information on the walk, which begins at 1 PM, see this “Event” HERE
Preregistration is required. To Register, go directly to the registration page HERE
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Village of Kingston has celebrated with a community gathering at the end of the summer.
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
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
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!
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/
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
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: