Kingston Public Library

Check out the Local History blog Pique of the Week!

In the Exhibit Case

Hours & contact

Iconic Buildings of Kingston

In 2001, a set of blocks depicting eight iconic Kingston buildings was created in conjunction with the Town's 275th anniversary celebration. These blocks, along with photographs of the buildings are in the Local History lobby case this month. Stop by and take a look!

Closed for vacation
June 24 - June 28
and
July 15 - July 31

Regular hours

* Mondays *
1:00 to 8:00

Closed on the following Mondays 2013: 6/10, 7/15, 8/12, 9/16, 10/14, 11/11 & 12/9.

Have more questions or want to make an appointment? Email or call 781-585-0517 x123

How do I...

Get a local history question answered?

Research my home's history?

Welcome!

Welcome to the online home page of the Kingston Public Library's Local History Room and Special Collections - the largest known repository of historical materials documenting the history and development of the town of Kingston and the people who have lived here. Kingston was incorporated as a town in 1726, but its history reaches back to the very beginning of Plymouth Colony.

For more information about Kingston's history, please visit the About Kingston page.

The mission of the Local History Room is to preserve and promote appreciation and understanding of the history and heritage of Kingston, Massachusetts. To accomplish this, we collect, catalogue, preserve and promote materials relating to the history of Kingston. Our research collection comprises rare books, documents, manuscripts, maps, personal papers, small artifacts, paintings, early photographs and other visual materials. Printed finding aids are contained in notebooks located in the Local History Room, and at the Reference Desk.
Collection titles and finding aids are also listed on the Special Collections page.

Reproductions of photographs or maps

Photographs from the Local History Room collections, as well as those on deposit from other organizations, may be duplicated according to the Local History Room policy on photographic reproductions. Please be aware that reproduction may be subject to condition of the original, gift or purchase agreements or restrictions, privacy and publicity rights or copyright issues. While the Local History Room will provide all known information about a photograph, determining copyright status is the responsibility of the user. The nature of archival images means that copyright or other information may be difficult or impossible to determine.

Please contact the Local History Room with any questions or comments.

Donations

The Special Collections in the Local History Room exist due to the generous donations of Kingston residents, past and present. If you have information relating to Kingston and would like to preserve and make the information accessible for future generations, please call or email the Archivist, Susan Aprill at 781-585-0517 x123 or kilhr@kingstonpubliclibrary.org

For more information please view our policy on donations and collection development.

House Histories

111 South Street, 1920

The House History Collection (HHC) contains information on the older houses of Kingston. The Collection is based on the 1998-1999 Massachusetts Historical Commission survey and house information often includes the historical name of the house, the builder, the house's architectural information and information on the house's residents. The Local History Room staff and volunteers have added any additional information that we uncover from any collection, photograph, or other type of resource that comes into the LHR to each of these forms. If the original survey did not cover a specific property and we have information on that location, we have created our own forms.

Many House History forms can be found online at kplma.org, the new site of the LHR.

If you are interested in researching your home's history we recommend that you give us a call or stop by to see what information we have. We then recommend taking that information and researching your deed history at the Registry. Once you have uncovered your home's past occupants, come back to us with their names and we will take another look into Kingston's past through the Local History Room Collections.

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Local History Books

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Additional Kingston history resources

Kingston is fortunate to have many wonderful organizations concerned with preserving the Town's unique history. For more information on these organizations, please visit their web sites.

Jones River Village Historical Society: Kingston's historical society founded in 1909; takes care of the Major John Bradford Homestead and offers many educational and social programs throughout the year.

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Online databases

American Ancestors: The New England Historical Genealogical Society is the oldest genealogical society in the country. For over 160 years, NEHGS has helped new and experienced researchers trace their heritage in New England and around the world. NEHGS databases are now available to Kingston library card holders.

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Additional web sites and organizations that may help you with researching Kingston history

Evergreen Cemetery Association
Green Street
Kingston, MA 02364
781-585-4507

Kingston Historical Commission
Town Hall
26 Evergreen Street
Kingston, MA 02364
781-585-0500

(508) 747-6204

Kingston Town Clerk
Town Hall
26 Evergreen Street
Kingston, MA 02364
781-585-0502

General Society of Mayflower Descendants
PO Box 3297, 4 Winslow Street
Plymouth, MA 02361
508-746-3188

Parting Ways
Parting Ways, in Plymouth, was the name of one of America's earliest free black settlements. In 1792, four black Revolutionary War veterans were rewarded for their military service by being granted 106 acres at a fork in the road leading out of Plymouth to Kingston. Information can also be found on the Plymouth Colony Archive Project.

Pilgrim Society/Pilgrim Hall Museum
75 Court Street
Plymouth, MA 02360
508-746-1620

Plymouth Ancestors
Plimoth Plantation and the New England Historic Genealogical Society have joined together to provide the most up-to-date genealogical information on the inhabitants of the Plymouth Colony in 1627.

Plymouth Colony Archive Project
Presents a collection of searchable texts, including court records, colony laws, 17thcentury text, biographical profiles of selected colonists, wills, probate inventories and much more. Developed by the late James Deetz, author of In Small Things Forgotten and The Times of Their Lives: Life, Love and Death in Plymouth Colony.

National Archives Northeast Region
Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center
380 Trapelo Road
Waltham, MA 02452-6399
1-866-329-6465 [toll free]

Plymouth Public Library
132 South Street
Plymouth, MA 02360
508-830-4250
Lee Regan, History Librarian

Plymouth Cordage Historical Society
Mill #1, Court Street
Plymouth, MA 02360
508-746-7707

Additional sites of interest:

Davistown Museum
This is a regional history, tool, and art museum located in the hill country of central coastal Maine. The museum has a wealth of information, particularly on C. Drew and Company tools, which were made here in Kingston.

© All rights reserved. Town of Kingston, Kingston Public Library. For more information please write to Kingston Public Library, 6 Green Street, Kingston Massachusetts 02364 or email the Library Director at sstewart@kingstonpubliclibrary.org. For suggestions on how we can improve our services, please email kilib@kingstonpubliclibrary.org. The Kingston Public Library is a member of the Old Colony Library Network.