Ulster County is named for the Irish province of Ulster which was ten an earldom of the Duke of York and who was later King James II of England.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Greene County
E – Columbia County and Dutchess County
S – Orange County and Sullivan County
W – Sullivan County and Delaware County
Created: November 1, 1683
County Seat:
Kingston 1683 – present
County Courthouse – Kingston
Location: 285 Watt Street / Main Street
Built: 1817 – 1818
Style: Georgian
Architect: Jacob Ten Broeck, John Beekman and James Cockburn.
Contractor: Jacob Ten Broeck, John Beekman and James Cockburn.
Description: The building faces east and is a two story stone and wood structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Kingston. The east front has a slightly projecting center section with entrance on the first story and rising to a pediment at the roof line. On the center of the roof is an octagonal cupola with dome. The building houses the County Supreme Court of the 3rd Judicial District. An addition was constructed on the west side in 1897. The architect was Andrew F Mason of Kingston.
Note: The Act of April 12, 1816 constituted Jacob Ten Broeck, John Beekman and James Cockburn commissioners “to superintend the said buildings”, each of whom was to be paid two dollars and fifty cents for every days “actual attendance” upon the duties of his office,
Note: The New York State Constitution was written in the third courthouse rooms and adopted on April 20, 1777.
See: The 3rd Judicial District 3 is located at Castleton-On-Hudson and includes Albany County, Columbia County, Greene County, Rensselaer County, Schoharie County and Sullivan County.
Note: Ulster County is one of the original 12 New York counties created in 1683.
History: The first courthouse in Wiltwyck community was built in 1661. The county was created in 1683 and Kingston was selected as the county seat. The second courthouse was wood and stone structure built in 1684 on Wall Street. The third courthouse was built in 1777 and was demolished in 1817. The courthouse was damaged by fire by the British during the “Burning of Kingston” on October 16, 1777 but was quickly restored and continued in use as a
Courthouse, Jail and County Clerk’s office until 1816. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1817 to 1818.
First Courthouse (1661 – 1684)
The first Courthouse serving the community that was then Wiltwyck was located
in the Community House along with the church and school. Situated within the
first extension of the original Stockade District as laid out by Governor-General
Peter Stuyvesant, this Court handled matters of limited jurisdiction with more
serious matters forwarded to the Governor-General and his Council in New
Amsterdam (New York City). There are no known depictions of this Courthouse.
Second Courthouse (1684 – circa 1737)
The second Courthouse was located at the current site of our Courthouse on Wall
Street in Kingston. This Courthouse was authorized by direction of the General
Assembly soon after the organization of Ulster County in 1683. The structure
contained both the Courthouse and Jail and was most likely constructed of wood
and stone. After a number of years, the building could no longer satisfactorily
serve its intended purpose and was removed to make way for a new Courthouse
and Jail building. There are no known depictions of this Courthouse.
Third Courthouse “The 1777 Courthouse” (circa 1737 – 1816)
The third Courthouse located on the present site, popularly known as “The 1777
Courthouse,” was authorized by an Act of the Provincial Legislature on October
14, 1732 to address the insufficiency of the existing building. It was in this
Courthouse that what became the New York State Constitutional Convention met
beginning March 6, 1777 to form the government of New York State under a
Constitution written largely by Founding Father John Jay. The New York State
Constitution was passed in this Courthouse, with one dissenting vote, on April 20,
1777. John Jay served as the first Chief Justice of the New York State Supreme
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Court, located here, later becoming the first Chief Justice of the United States
Supreme Court in 1789 by appointment of President George Washington. It was
also in this Courthouse that George Clinton took the oath of office as New York’s
first Governor on July 30, 1777, the first official act of New York State.
This Courthouse was damaged by fire by the British during the “Burning of
Kingston” on October 16, 1777 but was quickly restored and continued in use as a
Courthouse, Jail and County Clerk’s office until 1816.
County Courthouse – Kingston
County Courthouse Addition – Kingston
Photos taken 2014