Kings County is named for King George III of Great Britain.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Gulf of Saint Lawrence (Atlantic Ocean) and Quebec
E – Gulf of Ssint Lawrence (Atlantic Ocean) and Nova Scotia
S – Northumberland Strait and Nova Scotia
W – Queens County
County Created : 1765
County Seat:
Georgetown 1765 – present
Courthouse – Georgetown
Location: 60 Kent Street / Glenelg Street
Built: 1886 – 1887
Style: Romanesque
Architect: William Critchlow Harris
Contractor: Lemuel A Wilmot
Description: The building faces west and is a one and a half story red and grey coloured sandstone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds and is constructed with red coloured Island sandstone and grey coloured Wallace sandstone. The west front has a projecting section towards the north with arched entrance on the first story, a group a small windows on the second story and three windows on the third story. At the south end is a projecting section with arched entrance. The roof is hipped. The large Supreme Court courtroom is located on the south side of the building with the judges bench on the east side. The building houses the Supreme Court and County Court. The building was named as the Alexander W Matheson Building.
History: The county was created in 1765 and Georgetown was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a wood structure designed by Isaac Smith and built in 1835. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1886 to 1887 at a cost of $8,000.
Old Courthouse – St. Peters Bay
Location: 5697 St. Peters Road ( Highway 2 ) / Cardigan Road
Built: 1874 – 1875
Style: Federal
Architect: Prince Edward Island Department of Public Works
Contractor: Local Labour
Description: The building faces north and is a two story white coloured wood frame structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the west of the town centre. The windows are arched and the steep roof is hipped. In 1897 the front vestibule and side door were added by John MacKinnon. The building is now the Quigly Memorial Hall and houses the Courthouse Theatre.
Note: The cost of construction was $940. Similar courthouses were erected in Souris, Grand River, Murray River and Dundas.
Courthouse – Georgetown
Old Courthouse – St. Peters Bay
Photos taken 2006 and 2018