Kings County Courthouse/Kingston Free Library - Kingston Village Historic District - S. Kingstown, RI
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NorStar
N 41° 28.831 W 071° 31.512
19T E 289168 N 4595179
The courthouse, originally built in 1775 to replace an older courthouse, also was one of five courthouses used by the Rhode Island General Assembly on a rotation basis, and is now the Kingston Branch of the South Kingston Public Library.
Waymark Code: WMNBYD
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 02/09/2015
Views: 3
In the South Kingstown village of Kingston, is the Kingston Village Historic District, which has, as a contributing building the Kings County Courthouse.
The courthouse is located on the north east corner of the intersection of Rhode Island Route 138 and Upper College Road, which leads to the entrance of the University of Rhode Island.
The building is a tall building about 2 1/2 stories tall and is currently in the Victorian style. However, the building is much older. The building is painted brown with dark brown painted trim. The roof
There are a few plaques on the building. On the far left side is a small plaque for the building, saying:
"Kings County Court House
1775"
The one below is a historical plaque about the building.
The nomination form has the following for this building:
"3-T. Kings County Court House/Kingston Free Library 1775, 1876; .- 1329 Kingstown Road: A large, 2 1/2-story structure, with a projecting central tower with a polygonal belfry and roof and a large, pedimented entry. The Kings County Court House, originally at Tower Hill, was moved here in 1752; it stood directly across the road. In 1775, a new court house was erected here; it was one of the five original state houses where the rotating General Assembly met from 1776-1791. The state assembly met here bienially from 1842 to 1854. The building was radically altered in 1876 by the addition of a mansard roof and the central pavilion and tower, to which the belfry from the earlier court house was moved. In 1895, when a new-Washington County House was built in West Kingston, the first floor was remodeled for library purposes and the court room on the second floor converted to an auditorium. Part of the second floor was further restored in 1951 by John H. Cady. This fine building, the Kingston Free Library, and the adjacent, former records office occupy a small lot behind an 1855 iron fence set on granite blocks at the corner of Upper College Road.(1857-.Court House)"
Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Kingston Village Historic District
Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link]
NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link]
Address:
1329 Kingstown Road
South Kingstown, RI, 02881
How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Narrative found on the internet (Link provided below)
Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]
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