Kingston Historical Society

We are your Kingston Historical Society. 

Some call us “the memory of the Little City by the Sea.” 

Others say we are ”the storytellers of Ferry Town.”

Since 2002, we have been discovering, preserving, and sharing the colorful history of Kingston and the northern Kitsap Peninsula through careful research and innovative programs. 

What we do:

We bring history to you. Rather than at a museum you have to visit, the Society’s “Museum without Walls” program brings history to you with displays of photographs and artifacts in area businesses and restaurants.  Check out our exhibits on our web page at www.kingstonhistory.org.

We save and share what could be lost. As Kitsap County grows, more and more history is being torn down or built over. Our members are committed to researching and helping preserve those stories and structures that might otherwise be lost, whether it be helping save iconic troll wood sculptures, or uncovering the fact Japan bombed Kingston during World War Two. The latter remained a government secret for 75 years until Historical Society members interviewed the last living eyewitness. The story has since appeared in the press and in a documentary on the Discovery + Channel.

We help you recover your past. We can help you preserve your own family history, too. Every year, we receive requests from across the country, asking for help researching local records and conducting oral histories with living family members who live in this area. 

We love to partner and share. Since the Society’s founding in 2002, we have always been open to partnerships with other local and Washington State non-profits dedicated to preserving and sharing our State’s history. When the Maritime WA National Heritage Area (MWNHA) was created in 2019, we were proud to serve as an anchor organization.  We are now an official partner of MWNHA. 

What your support TODAY will help us do tomorrow:

Create a self-guided, "time machine” tour of old-town Kingston. In cooperation with the local Chamber of Commerce, we plan to use our photo collection to create a virtual tour that allows Kingston visitors to click on QR codes and  see what folks standing there 50 or 100 years ago saw.

Research and write stories for a new, state-wide Story Bank. As a partner of the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area, we are collecting and sharing historical stories of people and events from along Washington State’s 3,026 miles of shoreline. Our first contribution, Shadow Boats: Prohibition Rum Runners on Puget Sound, shares the roles Kingston characters like “Uncle Slug” played in those wild and wooly times.   Our second contribution, a North Kitsap trivia quiz, was published in

Produce a local Pioneer Index. In cooperation with the Washington State Genealogical Society, the Kingston Historical Society identified immigrant settlers in who were living in Kingston prior to statehood on November 11, 1889.

Write and publish our second book! Our first book, Images of America: Kingston (Arcadia Publishing, 2019), continues to be popular. Now, we are working on a companion book focusing on families in Kingston's first 75 years. 

All images are from the Kingston Historical Society archives

MAKE HISTORY TODAY!

Gifts of time, talent, and treasures are always appreciated!  A donation of at least $25 earns a membership in the Society.