A Growing Collection

Stories from Kingston's Past

The tales, controversies, and untold chapters that shaped three centuries of a small New England town

Iron hitching ring embedded in granite wall at Kingston Old Burying Ground with historic gravestones and church in background

Whispers in the Granite

The Hitching Rings of the Old Burying Ground

Look past the slate headstones at Kingston's Old Burying Ground and you'll find a rusted iron ring anchored into the granite wall — a quiet link to the days when Sunday meant tying your horse before walking into church.

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Painting of an early 19th century New England town center with meetinghouse and clapboard houses

Town Life

1815

Kingston in 1815: A Snapshot

300 Families and Deep Roots

Kingston had 300 families and about 1,250 residents in 1815. Roughly 80 houses stood within one mile of the meetinghouse. A small community with deep roots — and a surprisingly busy economy.

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Church & Society

1828

Father Against Son: The Religious "Civil War" of 1828

When Faith Split a Town in Two

For over a century, the First Parish Church was the undisputed heart of Kingston. Then in 1828, a theological storm that had been brewing across New England finally made landfall on the banks of the Jones River — pitting father against son and brother against brother.

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Early 19th century water-powered grist mill in New England

Industry & Trade

1815

Kingston's Industrial Boom: A Snapshot from 1815

Mills, Forges, and Factories on the Jones River

By 1815, Kingston had 6 grist mills, 4 sawmills, 2 anchor works, a forge, 3 tool shops, and 2 cotton factories. Far from a quiet farming village, it was a hive of makers, builders, and tradesmen powered by the streams and ponds that defined the landscape.

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Colonial-era watermill and forge along a New England stream

Waterpower & Industry

1815

A Town Built on Waterpower

How the Jones River Powered a Community of Makers

Kingston's industrial growth was no accident. The Jones River and its tributaries provided steady, reliable waterpower for mills, forges, and factories — transforming a farming village into a productive, interconnected industrial community.

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Stories from Kingston's Past

Whispers in the Granite

Kingston in 1815: A Snapshot

Father Against Son: The Religious "Civil War" of 1828

Kingston's Industrial Boom: A Snapshot from 1815

A Town Built on Waterpower

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