Old Washington County Courthouse Annex (Kingston, Rhode Island)
This lovely wood-frame structure was erected in 1775 as the Kings County Courthouse. Kings County would go on to change its name in honor of George Washington in 1781. In Rhode Island's earlier days, each of the state's five county courthouses were used as a meeting site for the state legislature. It was called a rotating assembly. And, it was in this structure where the Rhode Island Assembly became the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution on May 29, 1790.
This courthouse stopped being used as a capitol in 1791 and served only as the county courthouse for Washington County until the 1890s, when a new stone courthouse was erected in West Kingston. This structure, now integral to Rhode Island's history, serves as a local library. The stone building on the side was added in 1876.
Old Washington County Courthouse Annex (Kingston, Rhode Island)
This lovely wood-frame structure was erected in 1775 as the Kings County Courthouse. Kings County would go on to change its name in honor of George Washington in 1781. In Rhode Island's earlier days, each of the state's five county courthouses were used as a meeting site for the state legislature. It was called a rotating assembly. And, it was in this structure where the Rhode Island Assembly became the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution on May 29, 1790.
This courthouse stopped being used as a capitol in 1791 and served only as the county courthouse for Washington County until the 1890s, when a new stone courthouse was erected in West Kingston. This structure, now integral to Rhode Island's history, serves as a local library. The stone building on the side was added in 1876.