The Library dates to the founding of the Newport Historical Society in 1854 and includes works on the history of Newport County and the surrounding area. The collection contains approximately 12,000 volumes, microfilm, files, and catalogs reflecting the settlement, and development of Newport County. Because Rhode Island was established by settlers and refugees from other colonies, the collection includes works on early Southeastern New England families and governments that contributed to the history of Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations.

The major categories of Library Collections at the Newport Historical Society are as follows:

Banks, Topographical Map of English Emigrants to New England, Philadelphia: 1937, NHS Collections

Religious/Church History

Biography and Genealogy

American History

Local History

Social Sciences

Fine Arts and Architecture

Military and Naval Science

Bibliography and Reference

Other Collections

The birth and evolution of early American religious groups in Newport are reflected in our collection of religious and church histories. The collection features published works on the founding and teachings of Baptist, Quaker, Jewish, Congregational, and Episcopal churches, all with their earliest roots in Newport=s past. The collection also includes later groups, such as Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, and Greek Orthodox congregations.

An important section of the library collection includes published biographies, autobiographies, and diaries and journals of prominent New England personalities who had an important role in the founding and growth of Newport County and Rhode Island. The lives and writings of politicians, military heroes, theologians, and merchants are well represented in this growing collection.

Genealogy is the most used section of the library collection, consisting of 1,040 volumes representing the families who founded and developed the towns, cities, and states of Southeastern New England. It is the second largest genealogical collection in the state. Arranged alphabetically by surname, the collection includes families representing approximately thirteen generations and spanning a period of four centuries.

The genealogy collection also includes works on English and European families with known and suspected ties to early Rhode Island, such as Burke's Peerage, History of the Commoners, Genealogical Gleanings in England, and American Wills Proved in London and Canterbury. Heraldry, including coats of arms used by many early settlers, is well represented in the collection, with updates by the College of Arms and the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

This section focuses on the events that had significant influence on Newport County and Southeastern New England. Immigration, migration, European exploration, and ethnic studies make up the largest part of the section. It reflects the European discovery and inhabitation of North America and its influences on the Rhode Island region. Native Americans, African-Americans, and other ethnic and cultural groups that contributed to the evolution of the area are strongly represented.

Military history and regimental history, and lists of officers, soldiers, and sailors make up a large component of the American History section. The Colonial Wars, American Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War helped to shape the lives of Rhode Islanders. Newport=s role in the Revolution is underscored by works about George Washington and the French officers who planned the battles and charmed the people of Newport during their short stay. The War of 1812, with particular attention to Newport=s Oliver Hazard Perry, follows the Revolution as the strongest area of military study.

The fine arts and architecture section includes material about the arts, crafts, and architecture for which Newport is so famous. Painters include portraitists, Gilbert Stuart, Robert Feke, John Smibert, and Edward Greene Malbone; and landscape, seascape, and luminist artists such as William Trost Richards, John Frederick Kensett, George Quincy Thorndike, and John LaFarge. Newport=s famous craftsmen, such as the Townsends, Goddards, Nichols, Coddingtons, Stevens, and Claggetts, who produced furniture, silver, pewter, gravestones, and clocks, are just a few featured in this section.

Books about architecture makes up a large part of the Arts section, from the earliest works of Peter Harrison and Richard Munday to the California-inspired designs of Irving Gill. Early Colonial, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne styles are well represented. Also included are monographs, articles, and fine photographic publications about Gilded Age masters such as H.H. Richardson, Richard Morris Hunt, and Stanford White, who achieved national prominence with their Newport cottages of Gothic Revival, Beaux Arts, and Shingle Style designs, often in coordination with Frederick Law Olmsted and other noted landscape designers. Local builders and designers like Alexander McGregor, J.D. Johnston, and Dudley Newton are now receiving special attention by researchers using the architectural resources in the library.