Kingston, also known as Old Kingston, is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Autauga County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. Kingston served as the county seat of Autauga County from 1830 to 1868, when it was moved to

Prattville Prattville is a city located within both Autauga and Elmore counties in the State of Alabama, United States, but serves as the county seat of Autauga County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,781. Nicknamed "The Founta ...

. Kingston became a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

, until a new community was formed around the home of

Edmund Meredith Shackelford Edmund Meredith Shackelford (September 26, 1786 – March 1, 1857) was an American brigadier general. Early life Shackelford was born in Hancock County, Georgia, on September 26, 1786. He was one of ten children of John Shackelford (1736–1800), ...

, an officer who served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. A post office was operated in Kingston from 1830 to 1908. The community was devastated by an intense EF3 tornado on January 12, 2023. Dozens of mobile homes were completely destroyed, seven people were killed, and 16 others were injured. The tornado came just

9 days Nine Days (stylized as ''ninedays'') is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. It was formed in the hamlet of St. James, Suffolk County, New York in 1994 by John Hampson and Brian Desveaux, and released three independent albums in t ...

after another tornado struck the area, although it was a much weaker one that was rated EF0.

References

Unincorporated communities in Autauga County, Alabama Unincorporated communities in Alabama 1830 establishments in Alabama {{AutaugaCountyAL-geo-stub