Annual Kingston Historical Society awards recognize caretakers of city’s past

Celebrating the past while looking to the future, the Kingston Historical Society handed out its annual awards Wednesday night.

It was a chance to recognize those who have contributed to the preservation and interpretation of Kingston history.

Bill Stevenson, who created the Vintage Kingston Facebook page in 2012, was one of those recognized. The page offers a public platform to discover the Limestone City’s history.

Stevenson says he was was surprised by the honour.

“I want to say that I’m the coordinator, facilitator, but the page belongs to everybody who’s a part of the page,” Stevenson said.

“That’s why it’s never become a commercial venture.”

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There are now thousands of images posted, including many from private collections that would have otherwise gone unseen. Stevenson says the page and its contents continue to grow.

“I love it when people find these old photos and share them with me,” he said. “You don’t have to be a member of Facebook, you can just … Google Facebook Vintage Kingston and you can look at the photos.

“I think a couple of weeks ago there was 7,500. We’re probably at 7,600 now.”

The other award winner was the Kingston City Hall tour guide program. Jennifer Campbell is the Cultural Heritage Manager with the city.

“It’s all of these things that I think really come together,  and the generosity and the heart that really drives the program.”

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The Kingston Historical Society Award was first presented in 1993 to mark the organization’s 100th anniversary.

During the past 26 years, over 50 individuals and organizations have been recognized.