Welcome

Tea Time Talks are postponed to February and March. The January session, originally scheduled for the afternoon of 1/19/25 is cancelled due to the weather forecast of heavy snow starting around 2 PM. Talks will be moved to February 23rd or March 23rd. Please be safe Sunday. Our hosts at the Methodist Church say that their morning services will be held as planned.

ANNOUNCING: Tea Time Talks. Sunday afternoons filled with presentations about the History of the Kingston area. February 23, March 23, 2025 Follow THIS LINK Note: The January 19th session was cancelled due to a snowy forecast.

The Kingston Historical Society (New Jersey) website KHSNJ.ORG features:

– a list of Upcoming Events LINK,
Listed are KHS, Kingston, and local Canal events.
– a blog with records and photos from Past Events LINK,
– videos from previous presentations LINK
– and information about the Historical Society LINK
_ Archives of previous publications LINK

Interested in helping? Learn how to JOIN us, or VOLUNTEER.

Kingston Locktender’s House and Toll House/Telegraph Office at Holiday Tree Lighting
Calendar of COMING EVENTS

Latest Historical Society News (Blog Posts)

Our Blog is called the Telegraph, in honor of the Kingston Telegraph Office, from the first telegraph line through New Jersey.

(Older posts are available HERE)

Our website includes a list of upcoming EVENTS, information about our HISTORICAL SOCIETY and about KINGSTON NEW JERSEY and recent news in our “TELEGRAPH BLOG“, covering the Historical Society and the Community of Kingston.

Kingston Locktender’s House open weekends from April 1st to November 30th.

Want to volunteer to join in the work of the Society?
(CLICK THIS LINK to learn more)

Main Street Kingston descends to the D&R Canal, early 20th century
Swing Bridge on Kingston Main Street (1901)

Table of Contents

From the Telegraph – Recent Blog Topics:

... Looking for an older “Telegraph” Blog Post? Click HERE for a full list.

About the Society

The Kingston Historical Society (KHS) was formed in 1997 as a non-partisan, non-profit organization to preserve, enhance and promote the history of the village of Kingston, New Jersey.

Consider Volunteering! Learn More HERE or become a member (see below.)

KHS Ongoing Activities:

Locktender’s House Closed for the Winter.

The Kingston Locktender’s House is normally open to the public every weekend during warmer weather.

The Locktender’s House will be open on Saturdays, Sundays and major holidays from 10 am to about 5 pm. It closes for the winter on December 1st, but will be open for our annual Holiday Tree Lighting.

Note that the building had no air conditioning and minimal air circulation. Please maintain social distancing. Also, there is no bathroom available in the Locktender’s House. The nearest bathroom is a portajohn in the parking lot across the entrance road, maintained by the State Park. It is sometimes removed during the winter.

To find the Locktender’s House on your mapping software, try this address: 39 Old Lincoln Highway, Princeton, NJ 08540, or GPS: 40°22’25.9″N 74°37’06.7″W Or look for it at the D&R Canal at the foot of the Kingston hill.

View Videos of Earlier Programs

Follow THIS LINK to see a list of recordings from past events.

This Website:

  • Announces upcoming events
  • Preserves reports of Kingston Historical Society activities
  • Archives information about Kingston, New Jersey’s history
  • Provides information about our Society

(Photo: A frame bridge at the Kingston Lock, ~ 1901)

Click here for more of our past events

Members help us survive.

Join or Donate to the Kingston Historical Society
canal barge print

”History is who we are and why we are the way we are..” –David McCullough

We wouldn’t survive without the generous donations and contributions from our donors and patrons. The Kingston Historical Society (KHS) was formed in 1997 as a 501(c)3 non-partisan, non-profit organization to preserve, enhance and promote the history of the village of Kingston. The KHS has its headquarters in the Locktender’s House on the Delaware and Raritan Canal in New Jersey where it maintains the original circa 1830 home of families who operated the Kingston locks on the canal.

Our exhibits, the maintenance of the Locktender’s house, and our programs are produced and managed by volunteers in collaboration with numerous local historians and craftsmen.

Volunteer!