LHC – Page 6 – Local History Collections

2017-12-01

Happy Holidays!

In the spirit of the holidays, the Local History Room’s December exhibit features a collection of limited edition holiday ornaments created by the Kingston Lions Club between 1990 and 2002. Each one bears the likeness of a Kingston icon – from the old Town House and the Faunce School, to the Old Colony Railroad Station and the Major John Bradford House. Stop by to see this local memorabilia.
Source: Image from the Local History Room Image Collection (IC7).
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2017-11-20

Thanksgiving 1917

With Thanksgiving in just a few days, check out these negatives taken by noted Kingston historian and photographer, Emily Fuller Drew (1881-1950), on a freezing Thanksgiving Day in 1917.

Curve of the Jones River, Thanksgiving 1917

Jones River “from the river path,” Thanksgiving 1917

Source: Images from the Emily Fuller Drew Collection (MC16).

2017-11-15

Cranberries

According to a recent article in the Kingston Reporter, 20% of American cranberry consumption falls during Thanksgiving week.

Our love for this particular fruit is certainly not new. This image of Keith & Adams cranberry bog on Summer Street dates back to around 1885.

Cranberry harvest, Keith & Adams bog on Summer Street, October 1893

Source: Image is from the Mary Hathaway Collection (MC21).

2017-11-11

The (Almost) Centennial of the End of World War I

Today marks the 99th anniversary of the armistice agreement between Germany and the Allies, ending the actual fighting (though the war did not officially end until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919). November 11th became known as Armistice Day until 1954, when the United States began celebrating Veterans Day.

Town House decorated with American flag bunting and "Welcome Home" sign — Town House decorated for the celebration, October 18, 1919

Kingston held a Welcome Home Celebration in October of 1919 in honor of the return of servicemen and nurses who had served during the war. For pictures of the parade, see our post from last month.

And thank you to all who have served in the military.

Source: Image is from the Glass Plate Negative Collection (IC3).

2017-11-08

Winter is coming

The chill in the air this week reminds us that winter is right around the corner. Soon we’ll all be bundled up like these Center Primary students from the winter of 1926!

Source: This image is from the School Photographs Collection (IC5).

2017-11-01

Shall We Dance?

During November, the lobby display case will feature a selection of photos, invitations, and dance cards from throughout Kingston’s history. Did you know that ballroom etiquette once prescribed ladies to carry dance cards to pencil in the names of gentlemen who had reserved a dance? Or that in 1875, Kingston residents held a Thanksgiving Ball to celebrate the holiday? Stop by to learn more!

Source: Image from the Mary Hathaway Collection (MC21).

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2017-10-31

Happy Halloween!

KES Halloween contest 1952 Take a look at these Halloween costume winners at Kingston Elementary School back in 1952!

Source: This image is from the School Photographs Collection (IC5).

2017-10-25

Ted Avery’s Costume Shop

While going through a box of photographs, I came across this striking image of Ted Avery, holding a mask in front of his face just inside the doorway of his costume shop on Summer Street. With Halloween just around the corner, it was too fitting not to share!

Source: Image from the Local History Room Image Collection (IC7)

2017-10-18

On this day in 1919…

October 18, 1919 was a known as “Welcome Home Day” in Kingston in honor of its servicemen and nurses returning from World War I. The “Welcome Home Committee” presented each with a bronze token of appreciation for service to the town and country, and sponsored festivities that included the parade seen here, as well as band concerts, decorations, speeches and a turkey supper in the Town House.

Welcome Home Parade

There is now a monument to the 132 men and women who “entered the service” during the war. Constructed in 1926, it is located at the intersection of Summer and Green streets.

Welcome Home Parade, 1919

Source: Images from the Emily Fuller Drew Collection (MC16).

2017-10-02

Kingston Gravestones & Their Carvers

For the entire month of October, the lobby display case will feature a selection of photographs of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Kingston gravestones, but rather than focusing on those interred in the Old Burying Ground, this exhibit will examine the men who carved these markers. Stop by to check it out!

Source: Image from the Emily Fuller Drew Collection (MC16).