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A List of Recent Posts to Our KHSNJ.Org Website

  • KHS Annual Meeting features talk by D&R Canal Commission Executive Director
    Kingston Historical Society Annual Meeting Tuesday November 12th at7:30 PM, to feature presentation by D&R Canal Commission Executive Director John Hutchison, Executive Director of the Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission will present an illustrated program on the Commission. He will describe its role in preserving the Canal and its corridor and the process of a new master plan. The MasterPlan was last updated in 1989. As part of that process, the Canal is being documented by drone. A new video taken by drone,“Taking Flight on the D&R Canal: Raven Rock to Prallsville Mills” will be shown. 2024 is the 50th … Continue reading “KHS Annual Meeting features talk by D&R Canal Commission Executive Director”
  • Exploring the Kingston Lock Area
    The October 19,2024 walk along the D&R Canal was a big success! The weather was perfect for walking, and we had a good crowd gathered. They heard about the event in US1, Princeton Online, South Brunswick Patch and by word of mouth. Fall foliage was neary at its peak. The “Walk the Lock” event began in the Locktender’s house with Robert von Zumbusch and George Luck demonstrating our models of the Lock and the A-frame bridge. Then Charlie Dieterich described the A-frame bridge, which carried the Lincoln Highway through Kingston. He took the group across the “new” bridge that replaced … Continue reading “Exploring the Kingston Lock Area”
  • Kingston’s stop on “Five Canal Houses” tour
    On Sunday, September 15th, the Delaware and Raritan canal was bustling with activity as canal-related groups created a “Canal House Challenge” This was part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the D&R Canal State Park and D&R Canal Commission. D & R Canal Watch was the organizing group, while The friends groups opened five bridgetender and locktender homes: East Millstone, Blackwells Mills, Griggstown, Kingston, and Port Mercer were opened for tours. Visitors wishing to participate in the challenge received a “Passport” to be stamped at each house. Those who visited all five received a small prize. Five members of the … Continue reading “Kingston’s stop on “Five Canal Houses” tour”
  • Lock-Tender’s House display featured in local paper
    US 1 newspaper and PrincetonInfo.com featured an article on the Kingston Lock and our current exhibition “Kingston’s Lock: History Preserved — Photos and Drawings from 1936 re-interpreted for the 21st Century” The article is available online, or come visit the Kingston Lock-Tender’s House on weekends between 9 and 5. https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/coverstories/unlocking-a-bit-of-local-history-in-kingston/article_8a175cc0-2814-11ef-a778-ef510c9bccb1.html
  • George Luck Jr speaks at podium at Kingston Fire House
    Video of Spring Talk now online!
    The Kingston Historical Society celebrated the centennial of the Kingston Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 with Chief George Luck Jr. (retired) speaking at the firehouse and via Zoom. A video of the May 14, 2024 presentation, with a description of the program, is now available HERE Our streaming video file is hosted on Archive.org, a non-profit repository for community videos. Consider donating a few dollars to them! The KHSNJ on-line archive (archive.khsnj.org) also has items related to the 100th anniversary, view that collection HERE
  • 100 Years of Volunteers-Opens
    A new display “100 Years of Volunteers-The Kingston Volunteer Fire Co.” is now up in the Lock-Tender’s House. On the left the display shows a section from the 1924 KVFC Certificate of Incorporation. The rest of the display is divided into the three “objects for which the corporation is formed:” The display is in support of the KHS spring talk “100 Years of the Kingston Volunteer Fire Company” A talk by George Luck Jr. to be held at the Kingston Fire House on May 14th at 7:30 PM For more information on the May 14th talk, go to the registration … Continue reading “100 Years of Volunteers-Opens”
  • Open House Weekend a Success
    April 6 and 7, 2024 was opening weekend for displays at the Kingston Lock-Tender’s House. Several dozen folks came through our expanded display space — from local historians to joggers taking a break from their canal run. Society president, Robert von Zumbusch demonstrated how the Kingston canal lock worked and how the swing bridge, just downstream of the lock, could be swung away from the canal to allow boats to travel through. Both the lock and swing bridge have been removed from the D&R canal. Charlie Dieterich and Peter Shell, who assembled the new display “Kingston’s Lock: History Preserved” stand … Continue reading “Open House Weekend a Success”
  • New Exhibit coming April 6, 2024
    The Kingston Lock-Tender’s House display space opens for the the season on April 6 with an open house. Volunteers are working on this year’s displays as well as preparing a second display room. Here are a couple of photos: Here is a mock up for a photo shoot showing the lower, miter gate of the Kingston Lock. These “miter gates” were removed in 1945 when the canal was converted to water supply. The upper gate, which was a “drop gate,” was sealed with a concrete barrier containing water flow control valves. Below is a photograph from the 1936 National Park … Continue reading “New Exhibit coming April 6, 2024”
  • Archiving… and you
    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. For the past 25+ years we have been been collecting items related to the village of Kingston and preparing presentations for the community. Some of our artifacts help us to understand our environment. For example, the flour sack shows what was produced at the Kingston mill on the Millstone River. Other items help us to remember our more recent history. The Kingston Historical Society maintains a second website to show photographs of … Continue reading “Archiving… and you”
  • Holiday Tree Lighting- 2023
    The weather cleared just in time for our community tree lighting, Sunday December 3rd, 2023. The crowd was not as large as other years, but the Kingston Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 came to provide lights, and the Kingston Women’s Chorus came to provide a joyous sing-along. The Kingston Women’s Chorus sang seasonal favorites and reminded us that they have a concert on December 10th at the Kingston United Methodist Church. See OUR EVENTS LIST Before the event the Kingston Historical Society opened the history room in the Kingston Locktender’s House for one last view of the 2023 displays. The … Continue reading “Holiday Tree Lighting- 2023”
  • Annual Meeting Talk Video now Available
    You can view Markus McParland’s talk on our video page: https://www.khsnj.org/community-collection-for-kingston-nj-2023-video/ Thanks to Markus for his work preparing this talk and his book “Community Collection for Kingston, NJ” (www.kingstonbook.com)
  • Nov-Dec Events in Kingston 2023
    Kingston Book Talk / KHS Annual Meeting Local author Markus McParland spoke on his NEW BOOK: “Community Collection for Kingston, NJ” at the Kingston Historical Society Annual Meeting Video of this presentation is now available HERE Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023: Annual Thanksgiving Day Walk. 10 -11:30 am Mapleton Preserve, 145 Mapleton Road, Kingston, NJ.Join Karen Linder and FPNL for our annual Thanksgiving Day morning walk at the Mapleton Preserve. On this easy, family-friendly walk, we will focus on nuts, seeds and berries that wildlife, including turkeys, use as food. Free and open to all. Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands (www.fpnl.org). … Continue reading “Nov-Dec Events in Kingston 2023”
  • KHS participates in Scavenger Hunt
    October 21, 2023 was South Brunswick Township’s History Day Scavenger Hunt. The goal was to explore South Brunswick’s historic buildings and sites in a family friendly way. Participants received a “Passport to local history” which would be stamped at five locations in the township The event was sponsored by the South Brunswick Library and the South Brunswick Historical Society. The Township was celebrating 225 years. The Kingston Historical Society and Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands assisted in the “hunt” hosting three locations. Members of the Kingston Presbyterian Church, which celebrated its 300th birthday this year, opened their sanctuary as a … Continue reading “KHS participates in Scavenger Hunt”
  • Cemetery Tales, October 14, 2023
    Kingston Presbyterian Church in celebration of its 300th Anniversary presented “Cemetery Tales” on October 14, 2023 On a rainy afternoon… Rev. Sharyl Dixon welcomed nine persons buried in the Kingston Presbyterian Church cemetery… Dorothea “Jimmie” Potts, local business owner and investor talked about the development of US Route 1 and life in Kingston Pastor David Comfort spoke of ministry in Kingston and beyond Umeko Shimomura spoke of her life in Japan and as a farmer in 1920’s California, and then internment during World War II in Arizona. William Van Tilburgh spoke of his time as Inn Keeper in Kingston William … Continue reading “Cemetery Tales, October 14, 2023”
  • 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 … Continue reading “Kingston is Busy This Autumn (2023)”
  • Kingston Presbyterian History Video
    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, pastorand George Luck, Jr. introduced by Robert von Zumbusch, president of the Kingston Historical Society. With presentations by leaders of our three townships.
  • 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 … Continue reading “Kingston Tavern Walk 2023 Video”
  • Spring Kingston Historian online!
    The Spring 2023 edition of the Kingston Historian is now available as a .pdf for download and viewing HERE. Topics include
  • Taverns of Kingston, April 29, 2023
    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
  • 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. 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 … Continue reading “Kingston Picnic 2023 seeks Volunteers”
  • 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
  • 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 … Continue reading “Community Project Digs History”

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