Kingston House

Kingston House is a historic inn and tavern in Unity Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The property is also known as the Alexander Johnston House, reflecting its association with Alexander Johnston, the innkeeper who built and operated the establishment. Unlike the better-known Kingston technology company, this Kingston House is a Pennsylvania historic site and should not be classified as a memory-module or information-technology brand. The principal building was constructed around 1815. It is a two-and-one-half-story rubble-stone structure arranged in a five-bay composition, with a central-hall plan characteristic of the Federal architectural style. A one-and-one-half-story masonry wing was added in 1830, expanding the property during the period when it functioned as an inn and tavern. Its location and hospitality role placed it within the travel and social infrastructure of nineteenth-century Pennsylvania, where inns served as lodging houses, eating and drinking establishments, meeting places, and stopping points for travelers. Alexander Johnston was notable not only as the property’s builder and innkeeper but also for the prominence of some of its guests. The inn hosted presidential candidates William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor. Johnston’s third son, William F. Johnston, was born in 1808 and later became governor of Pennsylvania, serving from 1848 to 1851. These associations contribute to the site’s historical importance, although the available reference material does not establish that the property operated continuously as a branded hospitality business into the present day. Kingston House was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Its significance therefore rests primarily on its preserved architecture, role in local history, association with Alexander Johnston and his family, and connection to the political and travel history of the region. Current ownership, public access, commercial operating status, and any active hospitality services are not established by the supplied sources.

Kingston House is an historic inn and tavern in Unity Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It is also called the Alexander Johnston House because of its connection with Alexander Johnston, the innkeeper who built the property. The available historical account places construction of the main structure around 1815, when the building served the needs of travelers and the surrounding community. The original building is a two-and-one-half-story rubble-stone structure five bays wide. Its plan is organized around a central hall, and its design reflects the Federal style that was prevalent in the United States during the early nineteenth century. The property was enlarged in 1830 with the construction of an attached one-and-one-half-story masonry wing. The addition indicates the continuing practical importance of the site as an inn and tavern and forms part of the historic architectural composition recognized today. Johnston’s establishment received guests of regional and national political significance. Presidential candidates William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor were among the prominent visitors associated with the inn. The building also has a family connection to Pennsylvania political history: Johnston’s third son, William F. Johnston, lived from 1808 to 1872 and served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1848 through 1851. The property’s principal significance is historical rather than that of a contemporary commercial brand. It illustrates the role of inns and taverns as places of accommodation, social exchange, political travel, and community activity in early Pennsylvania. Its stone construction, Federal-style plan, and surviving attached wing provide architectural evidence of that period. Kingston House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The supplied sources do not document its current ownership, whether it remains open as an operating inn or tavern, or whether it has an active commercial website. It is therefore best documented as a historic property associated with hospitality rather than as a currently verified hotel or restaurant brand.

1. 1983Added to the National Register of Historic Places

   Kingston House received recognition on the United States National Register of Historic Places.

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2. 1851William F. Johnston’s gubernatorial term ends

   William F. Johnston completed his service as governor of Pennsylvania.

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3. 1848William F. Johnston becomes governor of Pennsylvania

   William F. Johnston, Alexander Johnston’s third son, began his term as governor of Pennsylvania.

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4. 1830Masonry wing added

   An attached one-and-one-half-story masonry wing was erected, expanding the historic property.

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5. 1815Main house constructed

   The principal two-and-one-half-story rubble-stone building was constructed around this date for Alexander Johnston’s inn and tavern.

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A historically significant Pennsylvania inn and tavern whose identity is centered on architectural preservation, local history, and associations with nineteenth-century travel and public life.

• Kingston House inn and tavernHistoric hospitality property

  The core offering historically associated with Kingston House was an inn and tavern serving travelers and local patrons in Unity Township. The establishment provided the type of lodging, refreshment, and social space typical of early-nineteenth-century Pennsylvania hospitality properties. The available sources do not confirm its current commercial operation or specific services.

1. Kingston House (Pennsylvania)