Kingston, Rhode Island

Although the legislators wouldn’t recognize it today, this was one of Rhode Island’s original state houses when the General Assembly rotated its meetings among the five counties between 1776 and 1791. When Kingston was dropped from the rotation it reverted to its original use as the county courthouse. The building was constructed in 1775 using posts and beams hewn from the thick forests nearby.

For its 100th birthday the courthouse received a Victorian makeover highlighted by a French Empire-style mansard roof supported by an abundance of decorative brackets. The original belfry was the plopped on top of the new roof. The new look couldn’t forestall the march of time, however, and in 1895 a new courthouse was built in West Kingston. The first floor was converted into the town library and the second floor became a community meeting hall. For its 200th birthday, in 1974, the old courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.