Gold chain made up of many connected gold medallion's. It is Kingston's longest serving chain of office with 67 plaques representing 84 past mayors and milestones in the city's history.
This Chain was commissioned after the first Chain of Office was given to John Counter. Mr. George Spangenberg of No. 30 King Street , a local jeweller, designed and manufactured the gold chain worn first by Mayor Overton Gildersleeve in November 1855. He planned to present the new chain to the City of Kingston as a replacement for the one presented to and retained by John Counter. Gildersleeve also initiated the principle that a link be added to the chain by each retiring mayor. The chain was expanded from the simple links to include the orange crosses in 1878 for the term of John McIntyre. This rule was adhered to from the original presentation until 2003, when it was worn for the last time by then-mayor Isabel Turner. Local jewellers Kinnear & d'Esterre had been manufacturing and adding the links since 1906.
Following amalgamation with the former Townships of Kingston and Pittsburgh in 1998, this chain was retired and replaced with a new one in 2003. The third and newest chain was first worn in November 2003 by the new incoming mayor, Harvey Rosen. The Chain of Office is a visual symbol of leadership in the administration of municipal government within a community and is generally associated with the title of Mayor, or Reeve. It is usually worn during designated occasions, such as meetings of Council, visits of official dignitaries, and special local public appearances.
