Kingston Hall is located at the easternmost corner of Eastern Washington University's main campus in Cheney, Washington. However, most who lay eyes on this imposing edifice know little about the man for whom the building is named.

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Ceylon S. Kingston taught English and history for 40 years at EWU beginning in the early 1900s when the institution was referred to as the Cheney Normal School. He was a well-loved (albeit exacting) professor, an interim president of the Normal School, and a dedicated scholar of Pacific Northwest history. Initially donated to the institution in 1940, Kingston's research remains a key part of Eastern's archives.

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Kingston briefly departed from his academic career to volunteer with the YMCA as a relief worker in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France after World War 1. His letters to his mother and a handful of other individuals offer an intriguing insight into the life of an American abroad witnessing the aftermath of the most destructive conflict that the world had seen at that point. Kingston's memories haunt the archives of the campus he once called his, calling us to remember the way that our world was torn apart.

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Five of these letters have been recorded in audio format for your listening enjoyment. The origins of the letters may be found on the map below. You may access the recordings and PDFs of the selected letters below the map.