The heart of the rich and beautiful Wyoming Valley, one of the eleven of the Susquehanna townships into which Luzerne county was divided in 1790, also one of the original formed under the authority of Connecticut and the Susquehanna Land company, has been diminished from its original size by taking off Dallas and parts of Franklin and Lake townships, and now contains but twenty-nine square miles, but is all naturally the most productive agricultural lands in the State. From this twenty-nine square miles are to be subtracted the territory of the four boroughs: Kingston, Dorranceton, Forty Fort and Wyoming. Stewart Pearce says it derived its name from Kingston, R.I., and was originally called "Kingstown."

The "forty Yankees who entered the valley in 1769 had among them Ezra Dean and family. When they had their territory assigned and located they all met under the trees and Dean proposed to furnish the crowd a quart of whisky for the privilege of naming the township. The proposition was accepted and Mrs. Dean named it "Kingstown." All took a pull at the bottle and then said "Kingstown" and it was christened. The memorable old Forty fort stood within its limits, on the river a short distance below the church, about eighty rods from the river. The first sawmill was James Sutton's on Tobey creek, built 1778. With Dallas and parts of Lake and Franklin, in 1796 it contained the following taxables:
James Atherton, Elisha Atherton, John Allen, Joseph Brown, Oliver Biglow, Alexander Brown, William Brown, Daniel Burney, Andrew Bennett, Josephus Barber, Caleb Brundage, Samuel Breese, Laban Blanchard, Almon Church, Gilbert Carpenter, Jonathan Carver, Samuel Carver, James Carpenter, Tunis Decker, Jesse Dickerson, Benjamin Dorrance, John Dorrance, Nathan Denison, Christian Cornigh, Joshua Fuller, Benajah Fuller, Hallet Gallop, William Gallop, Peter Grubb, John Gore, James Gardiner, Lewis Hartsoff, John Horton, Peter Hartsoff, Daniel Hoyt, William Hurlbert, Elijah Harris, Joseph Hillman, John Hinds, Stephen Hollister, Philip Jackson, John Joseph, John Keely, Samuel Landon, Nathaniel Landon, David Landon, James Landon, James Love, William Little, Isaiah Lucas, Lawrence Myers, Philip Myers, Nathan Mulford, Lewis Mullison, John Montoney, Isaac Montoney, Joseph Montoney, Andrew Miller, Elisha Matterson, Anning Owen, Able Pierce, John Pierce, Joseph Pierce, Elias Pierce, Oliver Pettibone, David Perkins, Aaron Perkins, John Rosencrans, Aaron Roberts, Benjamin Roberts, Nathan Roberts, James Rice Sherman Smith, Daniel Spencer, Martin Smith, Luke Sweetland, Joseph Sweetland, James Scofield, Comfort Shaw, Alexander Swartwout, Elijah Shoemaker, Abraham Shoemaker, Adam Shafer, Peter Shafer, Frederick Shafer, Peter Shale, Henry Tuttle, John Tuttle, Joseph Tuttle, William Trucks, Isaac Trip, Israel Underwood, Gideon Underwood, Abraham Van Gordon, Lemuel Wakely, John Wart, Ashel Fish, Benjamin Smith.

Around this spot centered those tremendous events of the colonial times. As said, here was Forty Fort, and therefore, for the history of the particular part of the county the reader is referred to the preceding general chapters, wherein is told the story, from the first arrival in 1762, to the close of the contention between the Connecticut people and the Pennsylvania authorities.

The township was not only stripped of its territory by taking portions to make other townships, but a large part of it now is in thriving boroughs. Commencing with Kingston and running north, is borough joined to borough for miles, reaching nearly to the north line of the township. To Kingston is added Dorranceton, Forty Fort and Wyoming, all being of recent formation, and all rapidly improving and property advancing. From the public square in Wilkes-Barre starts the electric car lines, and branching to Luzerne all the points to Wyoming are now well served, and the ride to the borough of Wyoming, now (August 15, 1892) ready to run to Pittston, and before this is in print, on to Scranton, is a delightful excursion. You pass one moment through the business portion of a borough, then palatial residences and their well-kept lawns and shade trees; then the gardens and truck patches, and perhaps a good-size field of waving corn. How rapidly the panorama has changed the past twelve months--and how this will go on, until pretty much all Kingston township is the suburban towns of Wilkes-Barre, is not difficult to see. A gentleman can now do business in the city, and his family and residence in this beautiful suburb will be as formerly when their home was a few squares away. So nearly do the boroughs occupy all the ground in Kingston township that is historical, that the reader is referred thereto for much of its history. Of course the history of its trials and triumphs in the old colonial times is to be found in preceding chapters, that tell of the Revolutionary war and the struggle with the Pennsylvania authorities.

The principal hamlet in the township is Truxville, a station on the Harvey Lake branch of the Lehigh Valley railroad, and is principally given over to the Wilkes-Barre butchers, and here they have their abattoirs and cattle pens. This is the nearest station to the Conyngham farm. There is a gristmill (water power from Tobey's creek) and a general store in the place.

Ice Cave, where is said to be always natural ice in a natural icehouse, is in a deep gorge, where the creek cuts through the mountain. It is also a stopping place on the railroad. There is a tavern at the place.

Carverton was years ago a farm postoffice, about two miles northerly from its present abode. When the postoffice was moved to its present place the name went with it. At old Carverton is a farm and church. At the present place is a store and postoffice all in one.

The Scotch Settlement is quite a well-known neighborhood, which lies back of Dorranceton borough. It would now be known as a "mining patch." It is laid off in lots and streets, and long rows of miners' houses.

Coopertown is similar to the above and abuts on it. The two are only separated by a road.

Wilkes-Barre Driving Park Association.--W. J. Harvey, president; George Parrish, vice-president; George P. Loomis, secretary; John Laning, treasurer. It is the main sporting resort in the county, situated in Kingston township just across the river from the bridge.