History :

As it is, the Kingston history we usually think of begins with the Dutch, who created the third settlement in the Dutch colony (after Manhattan and Fort Orange, later Albany). After some serious trouble with the earlier inhabitants, Indians of the Esopus tribe, the settlement got down to a hundred years or so of serious farming, which eventually led to some trouble with the British. In the early 19th century, Kingston changed from a regional farm town to a new transportation center and gradually became a center of industry, particularly of natural resources that could be used to build cities (cement, bricks, bluestone.) A neighboring village, Rondout, developed a mile away and eventually merged with Kingston.

In the early 20th century, Kingston's industries faltered as the railroad and highway provided new routes for coal and Portland cement replaced Rosendale cement and, to a large extent, bluestone. Over time, new industries came to Kingston, including garment-making, small machine manufacture, and eventually, with the arrival of IBM, computer manufacturing. In the late 20th century, Kingston finds itself once again creating new industies in such varied products as solar-powered boats, leather knapsacks and handbags, hand-crafted furniture, and multimedia packages.