Introducing Kingston 300: a fresh history of our town, its people and heritage
Our goal is to present Kingston’s compelling history in an easy-to-read book ahead of the 2026 tricentennial.
This new illustrated history will feature short narratives and fresh accounts from primary sources that add to established town histories, chronicling our townspeople’s participation in defining events and daily life through different eras. We welcome your contributions, whether “then and now” items from your neighborhood, snapshots of family histories, postcards, or other historical items.
Formed by local history enthusiasts, the book will draw from the lives of Kingston’s founders, to its patriots and shipbuilders, its exceptional women, civic and religious leaders, its craftsmen, entrepreneurs, and artists. A unifying theme is how the community grew along the Jones River, its tributaries and waterfront, sustained by abundant natural resources and its ingenuity.
With Kingston’s 300th anniversary less than four years away, we are reaching out to potential contributors this year!
Please contact Ken Brack at kenbrack5@gmail.com, Tom Vendetti at tajvendetti@gmail.com, or Jan Guidoboni at janorchard09@aol.com
Help us cast a wide net!
Kingston 300 invites you
- Contribute your family histories and anecdotes
- Contribute photos, postcards, and historical items
- Help us reach community members for their stories
- Reach veterans, first responders, athletic and social organizations, and many more
- Help celebrate your neighborhood’s history
Who we are
- Volunteer group of residents, history enthusiasts
- Formed a nonprofit corporation, Kingston 300, Inc., in 2020
- Not an official town entity
- Goal is to publish full-color book by fall of 2025
Held by the Kingston Public Library Local History Room Image Collection (IC7).
Contributors’ rights
Contributors to the book—whether submitting written materials, photography, or other art—have two options for your rights of authorship.
The first way is to retain your right of authorship—giving you the right to repurpose original content—by granting Kingston 300, Inc. non-exclusive rights to publish your work. A second option is to transfer your individual author’s rights to Kingston 300, Inc. as the publisher of a collective work. These are standard written agreements, and please do whatever you feel most comfortable with.
Writers and other contributors to the book will be asked to sign a written agreement choosing either option. All contributors will be credited appropriately. Kingston 300 intends to seek voluntary contributed content rather than commissioned “for-hire” submissions.
Written content types & lengths
– Snippets: use for timelines, factoids—a paragraph or two
– Short length sidebars, up to three paragraphs – eg. “Did you know? …” or “Remember when? …” and short personal profiles, etc. – a few hundred words
– Mid-sized articles – 500 to 1,000 words
– Main articles, chapter length and within sections
Possible ranges: 1,500 -1,700 words for a “short chapter” to 2,500 words for longer ones
Please contact either Ken, Tom, or Jan using our emails above for any questions and other guidelines. We look forward to your ideas and input!