Kingston Teen Searching For Village History

A 13-year-old Kingston resident is putting the final touches on a voluminous history of the Village and is looking for help in tying up some loose ends.

Markus McParland, an 8th Grader at the Yinghua International School in Kingston, stopped by the township Historic Preservation Commission – of which his father, Glen, is a member – at its March 7 meeting to share some of his findings and put out a request for more information.

The book, which must be completed in May, is already more than 600 pages long. It is roughly broken up into seven study areas: Inns, Taverns and Hotels; Homes and Historic Sites; People and How They Lived; Artifacts; Accidents; Uncovered Secrets, and Public Records.

McParland told the Commissioners that he is creating the book for the Kingston Historical Society.

“I’ve met twice with the Kingston Historical Society,” he said. “I have placed ads online and in the Post Office to ask if people have documents, articles or artifacts. I also have visited historic places and other places. I have also visited the churches.”

The young historian read from a number of pages in his book, touching on a variety of topics including “lost” inns, notable buildings and some infamous events that occurred in the Village’s history.

All proceeds from the book’s sales will be donated to the Kingston Historical Society, he said.

McParland started the project around October 2022. In that time, said his mother, Andrea, he’s been scouring online newspaper archives, Census records, and historic collections to get as much information as he can.

There still is some information that he has not been able to locate, he said.

“We have not been able to get any original picture/sketch of Brooks Manor/Millstone Inn,” which stood approximately where the middle of the Palace of Asia restaurant now stands, he said.

McParland asked that anyone with information, pictures or artifacts about Kingston’s history contact him at inaglen@aol.com.

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