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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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." […]
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 […]
The next time you pick up a piece of chocolate, consider that you are partaking in an expedition into American history. Alexander Hamilton’s rival, Thomas Jefferson, was a chocolate fan. John and Abigail Adams also loved their chocolate. Hamilton’s boss, President George Washington, along with his wife, Martha, was well acquainted with chocolate. But what […]
The growth of automobile usage during the twentieth century brought more and more American drivers out on the open road. But refusal of service and other threats made travel extremely difficult for African-Americans. One solution came from Victor H. Green, who between 1937 and 1963 published The Green Book, a guide for African-Americans traveling throughout […]
US merchants brought slaves not just to the Caribbean and the North American colonies in the 18th century, but also to labor in South America. American merchants (almost all Rhode Islanders) played a significant role in the trade of slaves from Africa to the Río de la Plata in Argentina and Bolivia. While most enslaved […]
The Newport Historical Society’s current programming initiative Newport Eats aims to provide historical context for present ideas such as food sustainability, community development, and healthy eating. Keeping to this popular topic, the Society is pleased to host author Sue AnderBois for the February 23rd, 2017 talk The Rhode Island Food Strategy: Context & How It […]
