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Kingston, Tennessee

Roane County’s seat where the Clinch River meets the Tennessee — a 1790s fort that is now Tennessee’s newest state park, an 1850s courthouse museum downtown, Watts Bar Lake at the door, and one day in 1807 as the state capital.

City · incorporated 1799Seat of Roane County →Pop. 5,953 (2020)Eastern timeThings to do ↓Eat & drink ↓Places to stay ↓Events ↓A short history ↓City hall & resources ↓

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · sources at the bottom

In 30 seconds
  • Why stop: walk Fort Southwest Point and the lakeshore trail, then the courthouse museum downtown — and eat on Race Street or Kentucky Street.
  • Before you go: the fort only became a state park in July 2026 and Ladd Park is mid-renovation, so check hours and ramp status on the linked pages; the courthouse museum is weekdays only.
  • Don’t confuse: this is Kingston in Roane County, East Tennessee — not Kingston Springs (Cheatham County, near Nashville). Oak Ridge’s K-25 site is also in Roane County, but it isn’t in Kingston.

Visitor directory

Things to do in and around Kingston

In town

  • Fort Southwest Point State Historic Park ↗1226 S. Kentucky St · a federal fort built in 1797 on the bluff above the Clinch and Tennessee rivers, with reconstructed buildings on the original foundations and a visitor-center museum of artifacts dug on site. Paved half-mile walk along Watts Bar Lake, picnic areas and an 18-hole disc golf course; admission has been free. Dedicated as Tennessee’s 66th state park on July 8, 2026 (the City of Kingston ran it before) — check the park page for current hours. ⓘ source
  • Historic Roane County Courthouse & museum ↗119 Court St, downtown · Greek Revival–Federal courthouse built 1854–55, one of the few antebellum courthouses left in Tennessee and on the National Register. Inside: the Roane County Museum of History & Art and the Roane County Archives, a big genealogy and court-records library run by the Roane County Heritage Commission · Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–4:30 PM ET (closed noon–1 and weekends) · (865) 376-9211. ⓘ source
  • “Capital for a Day” monumentIn the center of town — marks Sept. 21, 1807, when Tennessee’s legislature met in Kingston and the town was the state capital for a few hours (see the history below). ⓘ source
  • Ladd Park & the Clinch River blueway ↗City park on the Clinch River with blueway access for paddlers and anglers and the Betty Brown Memorial Walking Trail · ⚠️ renovation under way — new pavilion and restrooms, and a new boat ramp expected around winter 2026–27. ⓘ source
  • Kingston Parks & Recreation ↗201 Patton Ferry Rd · (865) 376-9476 · miles of lakeside walkways, ball fields, picnic pavilions (rentals), a community center and a junior-Olympic-size pool; Southwest Point Park’s fields sit beside the fort.

On the water

  • Watts Bar Lake ↗Kingston sits on the lake where the Clinch River meets the Tennessee — boating, fishing and shoreline parks; the old steamboat waterfront is now mainly for recreation. TVA posts lake levels and releases. ⓘ source

Elsewhere in Roane County

  • HarrimanThe 1890 temperance town a few miles up the Emory — Cornstalk Heights’ Victorian homes and the Princess Theatre ↗ downtown.
  • Roane County Park ↗County-run park at 3515 Roane State Hwy, Harriman · walking track, swim area, splash pad, inclusive playground, disc golf and a kayak launch.
  • K-25 History Center ↗652 Enrichment St, Oak Ridge — on the Roane County side of Oak Ridge, not in Kingston · the story of the K-25 uranium plant and its workers (Manhattan Project National Historical Park).
  • Windrock ParkOff-road trail country above Oliver Springs, where Roane, Anderson and Morgan meet — see our Windrock guide.

Eat & drink

  • Smokehouse ↗708 W. Race St · (865) 248-8026 · American grill and bar · Mon–Wed 11 AM–9 PM, Thu–Sat 11 AM–10 PM.
  • Bettye Rose Bakery ↗105 E. Race St · (865) 603-1337 · seasonal sweets — baklava, cannoli, cream horns, cookies, cakes and pies · Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–5 PM, Saturday brunch 10 AM–2 PM.
  • Cazadores Mexican Restaurant ↗1190 Gallaher Rd · (865) 270-2211 · Sun–Thu 11 AM–10 PM, Fri–Sat 11 AM–11 PM.
  • Maple Creek Bistro ↗1000 Ladd Landing Blvd · (865) 248-8430 · dinner bistro in the Ladd Landing town center on the Clinch River · listed Tue–Sat 4–10 PM (Roane Tourism) — call ahead.
  • Handee Burger ↗407 N. Kentucky St · (865) 376-2186 · local breakfast spot known for its small burgers · listed Mon–Fri 6 AM–2 PM (Roane Tourism) — call ahead.

Places to stay

  • Super 8 by Wyndham Kingston ↗905 N. Kentucky St · (865) 376-4965 · in town.
  • Whitestone Inn ↗1200 Paint Rock Rd, outside the city limits · (865) 376-0113 · bed-and-breakfast on 50 acres along the Tennessee River (Watts Bar Lake).
  • Riley Creek Campground (Roane County) ↗615 Anglers Cove Rd, off TN-58 south of town · (865) 250-6152 · county campground on the Tennessee River (mile 570): 45 sites with water and electric, tents allowed, two-lane boat ramp.

More lodging, cabins and marinas around the lake: Roane Tourism’s stay list ↗ (1209 N. Kentucky St, Kingston).

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · businesses copied from each business’s own page or its Roane Tourism listing — free listings; call ahead, small-town hours change.

Coming up in Kingston

  • Thu Oct 29 — Last day of early voting9 AM–5 PM ET · the Kingston Community Center is one of Roane County’s four early-voting sites (also Harriman, Rockwood and Milestone Church in Oak Ridge). ⓘ source
  • Mon Nov 2 — City Council work session (moved)6 PM ET at City Hall, 900 Waterford Place — moved from Tue Nov 3 because of the election. ⓘ source
  • Tue Nov 3 — Election DayPolls 8 AM–8 PM ET at your assigned precinct · Kingston City Council seats are on the ballot with the state and federal races · Roane County Election Commission, 200 E. Race St, Suite 8 · (865) 376-3184. ⓘ source
  • Tue Nov 10 — Public hearing + City Council meetingCouncil chambers, City Hall · public hearing on Ordinances 2026-10-13-01 and -02 before the regular 6 PM ET meeting (2nd Tuesday). ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 21 — Taste of the Holidays (downtown Harriman)10 AM–4 PM ET · Roane Chamber holiday market — shopping, food trucks, music and free Santa photos. ⓘ source
  • Tue Dec 8 — City Council regular meeting6 PM ET at City Hall (2nd Tuesday). ⓘ source

Holiday dates not posted yet: the City of Kingston Christmas Parade (a Monday evening in early December in recent years — Dec. 1 in 2025) and Fort Southwest Point’s Candlelight Christmas Tour. We’ll add them when the city or the park posts 2026 dates.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · times Eastern · dates from the City of Kingston, UT MTAS, the Roane County Election Commission and the Roane Chamber. More Roane County events on the county guide.

Area news

Headlines from local outlets · Kingston & Roane County

  • 3B Media News · Oct 14, 2026

    Kingston’s council passed first readings of budget amendments and heard that Ladd Park’s new pavilion and restrooms are on site, with a new boat ramp expected around winter.

    Read at 3B Media News →
  • City of Kingston · Oct 16, 2026

    The November council work session moves to Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. because of Election Day.

    Read at City of Kingston →
  • City of Kingston · Oct 14, 2026

    The City Council will hold a public hearing on two ordinances before its Nov. 10 regular meeting.

    Read at City of Kingston →
  • Roane County News · Oct 12, 2026

    Early voting opened at four Roane County sites, including the Kingston Community Center; Kingston council races are on the Nov. 3 ballot.

    Read at Roane County News →

Short summaries in our words — tap through to read the full story at the outlet. All area news → · Outlet requests: [email protected]

A short history

Kingston grew up where the Clinch River meets the Tennessee, a crossroads that mattered to both the Cherokee and the settlers pushing west. John Sevier set up a first post near a spring here in 1792; in 1797 federal troops built Fort Southwest Point on the hill above the two rivers, on the line between the United States and Cherokee lands. From 1801 to 1807 the fort was a supply depot and the place where treaties were negotiated with the Cherokee under Indian agent Col. Return Jonathan Meigs; soldiers stayed until 1811.

The legislature incorporated Kingston in 1799. When Roane County was created in 1801 — named for Gov. Archibald Roane — the town in the fort’s shadow became the county seat. The 1805 Tellico treaty with the Cherokee had promised that Kingston would become the state capital, and on September 21, 1807 it did, for a few hours, before the capital went back to Knoxville; a monument downtown marks the day. A young Sam Houston clerked in a Kingston store before he volunteered for the War of 1812.

Kingston became a busy steamboat landing on the Tennessee River. The present Historic Roane County Courthouse went up in 1854–55, built by architect Augustus Fisher and designer Fredrick B. Guenther with bricks made on the site by enslaved workers; both armies used it as a hospital during the Civil War. Today the river is TVA’s Watts Bar Lake. The city opened the fort site as a park in 1974, a restoration of Fort Southwest Point was completed in 1996, and in 2026 the state took it over as Fort Southwest Point State Historic Park.

Roane County’s history → · East Tennessee history hub →

City hall & local resources

  • Emergency (police · fire · EMS)911Call 911 for any emergency.
  • Kingston City Hall(865) 376-6584900 Waterford Place · Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM ET · city services and the city water utility · [email protected] ⓘ source
  • Kingston Police Department(865) 376-2081Non-emergency · 900 Waterford Place · city court clerk at the police department, Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM. ⓘ source
  • Kingston Fire Department(865) 376-2936125 W. Cumberland St · burn permits inside city limits and event medical standby. ⓘ source
  • Kingston Parks & Recreation(865) 376-9476201 Patton Ferry Rd · pavilions, pool, community center. ⓘ source
  • Roane County Sheriff’s Office(865) 717-4700230 N. Third St, Kingston. ⓘ source
  • Roane County Election Commission(865) 376-3184200 E. Race St, Suite 8, Kingston · Election Day polls 8 AM–8 PM ET. ⓘ source

City of Kingston official site ↗ — public notices, council agendas, parks and city departments. Kingston has an elected mayor and city council with a city manager; the council meets the 2nd Tuesday at 6 PM ET at City Hall. Kingston Public Library and the Roane County Schools are linked from the city site.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · official sites only · numbers copied from each agency’s own page — tap ⓘ to confirm. Emergencies: call 911.

Around Roane County

← Roane County guide — the county directory, parks, Harriman, Rockwood, the Oak Ridge side and Watts Bar Lake.

Other Roane County towns: Harriman (also Morgan) · Rockwood · Oliver Springs (also Anderson & Morgan) · Oak Ridge (west end; mostly Anderson). Communities: Midtown · Blair · Swan Pond · Emory Gap · Paint Rock · Midway.

Photo story: Kingston: Fort Southwest Point & Capital for a Day · Another county-seat guide: Wartburg (Morgan County).

Sources

Checked Oct 29, 2026