Newport Historical Society

Rhode Island’s contribution to World War II vastly exceeded its small size. Newport’s and Aquidneck Island’s contributions alone included the nation’s most important torpedo production facilities, a naval training station for some 500,000 sailors, and a PT boat training center at Melville. Civilians, including for the first time many women, did their part by manufacturing […]

Starting at 10am visit the Colony House and Washington Square for a morning of patriotic activities, including a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Throughout the day celebrate religious freedom and the First Amendment when more than a dozen houses of worship will be open to the public for tours. Learn how the building or […]

The Newport Historical Society is receiving recognition for its innovative approach to public history. In a collaborative initiative called “History Space,” the NHS provides the public with new ways to engage with the past, including site-specific living history events that have been very popular with visitors and residents alike. Now, the Society is growing these […]

Newport was one of the earliest American seaports to engage in the transatlantic drug trade during the first third of the eighteenth century. On Thursday, August 17, at 5:30pm, the Newport Historical Society will host Elaine Forman Crane, Distinguished Professor of History Emerita, Fordham University, for lecture titled "A Culture of Corruption: The Apothecary’s Tale." […]

In December of 1776, a large British military force established a post in Rhode Island, headquartered in Newport. Throughout 1777, the soldiers and sailors who had come to drive out “rebels” settled into a tense coexistence with an independence-minded civilian population that loathed their presence. On Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 5:30 pm, join author […]

Start the season with the Newport Historical Society’s annual Holiday Open House. Visit the 1739 Colony House on Washington Square Tour and hear hymns performed by costumed interpreters that were once sung in colonial Newport. A handout with lyrics will be provided, audience participation is encouraged. Admission is free, donations are welcome. Christmas in Newport’s […]

  On Thursday, January 18 at 5:30 pm, the Newport Historical Society will host David Kohnen of the Naval War College as he discusses the importance of baseball in WWI. A century ago, as American forces mobilized to the European front in the First World War, the President of the Naval War College, Rear Admiral […]

Evidence of the history of African Americans in New England from the 18th and 19th centuries is found in many historic burial grounds and cemeteries in the region, with the most significant and extensive of these sites being God’s Little Acre in Newport. On Thursday March 8, 2018, at 5:30pm, historian and author Glenn Knoblock […]

Join us as we celebrate the Newport Historical Society’s new visual identity! History Starts Here, and it is Endlessly Interesting! Take a look at our new signage, talk to staff members about our upcoming events and activities, and enjoy refreshments on Thursday, March 15, at 82 Touro Street from 1-4PM. No registration required, this is […]