Calendar
Current Events
For more information regarding events, call 401-846-0813 weekdays or 401-841-8770.
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Daily, year-round, from 10AM to 5PM
The Museum of Newport History tells the story of Newport through important furniture, art, silver, documents, and artifacts of daily life, all from the Historical Society’s collections. Browse the Museum Shop and bring your NHS membership card for 20% discount. Brick Market, donation.
Through February 24th, 10-2 weekdays
Their Manners Pleasing and their Education Complete: Newport Samplers. Exhibit in the Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House, 82 Touro Street.
February 2, 2012 at 5:30pm
Catholics in Antebellum Newport. New England was inhospitable territory for Catholics from the colonial era until the Civil War. Dr. John Quinn will explore the history of Catholicism in Newport, RI, specifically focusing on the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Colony House, Washington Square. $5 per person, $1 NHS members. RSVP to 401-841-8770
April 26, 2012 at 5:30pm
Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted. Frederick Law Olmsted is arguably the most important historical figure that the average American knows the least about. Justin Martin, author of the new book about Olmsted, will share highlights from Olmsted’s career and discuss the timeless intent that stands behind Olmsted’s influential landscape designs. Colony House, Washington Square. $5 per person, $1 NHS members. RSVP to 401-841-8770
Past Events
January 19, 2012 at 5:30pm
Value of the Book. During this interactive program, Ray Rickman will discuss what makes a book valuable. Using an Antiques Road Show-format with books brought by audience members, Rickman will provide information and insights about what types of books have the highest retail value and he will offer complimentary estimates of the books’ value. Guests can bring up to three books. $5 general admission, $1 NHS members. RSVP to 401-841-8770
January 26, 2012 and February 23, 2012, 1pm to 2pm
Library Workshop. Winter is the perfect time of year to research the Newport history questions that have been on your mind. Learn how to research the history of your house, family, neighborhood, or a period of Newport’s history from the expert staff at the Newport Historical Society. NHS headquarters, 82 Touro Street. $10 per person, free for NHS members. Reservations suggested as space is limited. 401-846-0813
Fridays & Saturdays from November 18, 2011 – December 23, 2011
Holiday Lantern Tour. Celebrate the authentic history of winter holiday traditions. $12 per person, $10 for NHS members, $5 for children ages 12 and under. Departs from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market, 127 Thames Street, Newport, RI. Reservations encouraged as space is very limited. 401-841-8770.
December 11, 2011 and December 18, 2011 at 11:30am
Holiday Walking Tour. Learn the history of winter holiday traditions on a stroll through Newport’s streets. Hear how colonial Newporters did—or didn’t—celebrate the holidays.
December 1, 2011 from 5pm-6pm
Holiday Open House at the 1739 Colony House. Tour this historic property before the 6pm Official Opening Ceremony of Christmas in Newport and the Christmas tree lighting on Washington Square. The exhibit Cases and Types will be on display. This event is free and open to the public, donations welcome.
December 3, 2011, December 10, 2011 and December 17, 2011 at 11:30am
Boxing Day at the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House: 1760. Hear the unique history of Newport’s oldest house museum and learn how 18th century residents made their way through the winter. Admission costs $15 per person, $10 for NHS members. Reservations required. 841-8770.
December 19, 2011 through February 24, 2012 (Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm, closed on major holidays)
Their Manners Pleasing, and Their Education Complete: Newport Samplers 1728-1835. The exhibit, featuring eighteenth and early nineteenth century samplers from the Society’s textiles collection, reflects the evolution of Newport needlework over the course of a century and includes examples of the different types of samplers that a girl might produce during her lifetime. Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House at NHS headquarters, 82 Touro Street. Admission by donation. 401-846-0813
December 22, 2011 and December 29, 2011 at 11am
Working Waterfront Walking Tour. Walk in the footsteps of the women and men—sailors, merchants, immigrants—who once lived and worked in the Lower Thames neighborhood on a tour that engages the senses. Departs from the NRF Museum Store, 415 Thames Street. $12 per person, $10 for NHS members.
December 23, 2011 at 11am
Discover Newport in Costume. Follow a guide in 18th century costume on a walking tour of Newport’s colonial streets. Learn about the city’s remarkable history and its role during the American Revolution. $12 per person, $10 for NHS members. Departs from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market, 127 Thames Street, Newport, RI. Reservations suggested. 401-841-8770.
December 24, 2011, December 30, 2011 and December 31, 2011 at 11am
Discover Colonial Newport Walking Tour. Hear stories of revolution, struggles for religious liberty and remarkable entrepreneurship among Newport’s diverse people. $12 per person, $10 for NHS members. Departs from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market, 127 Thames Street, Newport, RI. Reservations suggested. 401-841-8770.
December 26, 2011 at 11am
Rogues & Scoundrels Walking Tour: See where scoundrels lived, where pirates profited and where criminals were put on trial and punished. Find out why this colony was known as “Rogue’s Island.” $12 per person, $10 for NHS members. Departs from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market, 127 Thames Street, Newport, RI. Reservations suggested, space is very limited. 401-841-8770.
Thursday November 10, 2011
Love Letters
First person interpreters portraying John & Abigail Adams will share the love letters of this historic couple.
Saturday October 15 & Sunday October 16, 2011, 11AM to 3PM both days
A Festival of Moveable Type in Washington Sqaure
Kyle Durrie, of Power & Light Press, brings letterpress to the people through demonstrations of traditional hand-set letter block printing, all from a fully functional mobile print shop built into the back of an old delivery truck and parked at the head of Washington Square. “Cases and Types”, a history of the Franklin Press, will be on display in the Colony House. The Franklin Press, a 17th century printing press used in Newport for almost 100 years, on display at the Museum and Shop at Brick Market.
Thursday October 20, 2011 at 5:30pm
From Protection to Nature to the Environment: Three Centuries, Two Houses. One Family
Henry Wood will discuss the 300 year evolution of two properties — Clingstone, and the Robinson House — that have belonged to one Newport family. Colony House, Washington Square. Reservations recommended. 401-841-8770
Thursday September 22, 2011 at 4:30pm
Newport Historical Society Annual Meeting
Historian Nicole Belolan, Ph.D. will present the keynote talk, “Dismembered Memory: Desire Tripp and Her Arm’s Gravestone.” On February 20, 1786, a Newport physician amputated Desire Tripp’s arm. A gravestone in a Newport burying ground commemorates this amputation with a realistic engraving of the arm’s likeness. By piecing together disparate sources to reconstruct Desire Tripp’s everyday life in late eighteenth-century Newport, Belolan will highlight how the memory and meaning behind this amputation have changed over time.
Thursday October 6, 2011 at 5:30pm
The Rhode Island Campaign
Christian McBurney will discuss the research behind his forthcoming book The Rhode Island Campaign: the First French-American Joint Operation and the Battle of Rhode Island. Colony House, Washington Square. Reservations recommended. 401-841-8770
Monday October 10, 2011 at 10:30am and 2:30pm
Walking tour. Stroll the neighborhood where Newport’s early Jewish settlers worked side by side with their neighbors on the Newport’s Jewish History tour. Hear stories about the founders of Touro Synagogue and learn about the legacy of religious freedom they left behind. $12 per person, $10 NHS members. Reservations recommended. 401-841-8770
Friday, August 12th from 6-9pm
Newport Antiques Show Preview Gala. Join us for one of Newport’s loveliest events at the Newport Antiques Show. Proceeds benefit the Newport Historical Society and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County. For tickets call 401-846-8669.
Saturday, August 13th and Sunday, August 14th
The Newport Antiques Show at St. George’s School, 372 Purgatory Road, Middletown, RI. Celebrating its fifth year, the Newport Antiques Show has become a seminal event for antique lovers in New England and abroad. Over forty of the industry’s finest dealers will showcase the best the antiques world has to offer to over 2,500 visitors at the Stephen P. Cabot and Archer Harman Ice Center at St. George’s School. Show hours Saturday 10am – 6pm. Sunday 10-5. Admission $12.
Monday May 30, 2011 at 10:30am and 1:30pm
Walking tour. Stroll the neighborhood where Newport’s early Jewish settlers worked side by side with their neighbors on the Newport’s Jewish History tour. Hear stories about the founders of Touro Synagogue and learn about the legacy of religious freedom they left behind. $12 per person, $10 NHS members. Reservations recommended. 401-841-8770
Lecture. Andrew Lizak will present “The Fall River Line and the 1937 America’s Cup Spectator Fleet Off Newport in Color.” This program will offer a brief history of the Fall River Line steamships, highlighting Newport’s involvement with the Fall River Line from its founding in 1847 through its demise in 1937. Colony House on Washington Square; $5 per person, $1 NHS members. Reservations requested. 401-841-8770
Walking tour. Celebrate the start of summer with the The Other Summer Colony walking tour. Walk through the Kay, Catherine and Old Beach Road neighborhoods and explore the lives of Newport’s forgotten nineteenth-century intellectuals, artists, scientists, and more. Advance reservations and prepayment required. Tour departs from a location designated when reservations are made. $12 per person, $10 NHS members. 401-841-8770
Special Event in Washington Square. Join the Rhode Island Sons of the Revolution, Newport Historical Society, Washington Square Roots, the Newport Artillery Company and many others for a community celebration of the National Holiday on Washington Square. Festivities will include the reading of the Declaration of Independence, a Revolutionary-style cannon salute, music, pie-eating, bell-ringing and the opening of the exhibit “The Many Faces of George Washington.” A small exhibit on “How Newport Celebrates the 4th” will also be on display in the Colony House. Special this year, the Colony House will also host an historic re-enactment of the Trumbull painting of the signing of the Declaration Independence, with the signers portrayed by their descendants and current civic leaders.
Thursday May 12, 2011 at 5:30pm
Lecture/presentation. In collaboration with the Washington Square Roots, Ruth Taylor, Executive Director, will join with Edward Sanderson, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission, to discuss Rhode Island’s historic civic buildings, and the history of Newport’s Colony House. $5 per person, $1 NHS members. Reservations recommended: 401-846-0813.
Friday May 13, 2011 at 11am
Walking tour. Follow a guide in colonial costume as she retraces the lives of the shopkeepers, tavern owners, teachers and more on the Women in Colonial Newport history walking tour. Investigate the many entrepreneurial women who once lived and worked in this diverse seaport. $12 per person, $10 NHS members. Reservations recommended. 401-841-8770
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 5:30pm.
Lecture. Cold Comfort: Race and Rape in Rhode Island. An examination of an actual legal case by noted scholar Elaine Forman Crane will focus on the importance of law and the way it intersected with people’s lives in colonial Rhode Island. At the Colony House on Washington Square, the location where the trial that is the subject of this presentation took place. $1, NHS members, $5 all others.
Saturday March 19, 2011, Monday April 18, 2011 and Wednesday May 4, 2011 at 11am
New walking tour. Riots and rebellion, enemies and allies! Be among the first to learn about Newport in the years surrounding the American Revolution on the Road to Independence history walking tour. $12 per person, $10 NHS members. Reservations recommended. 401-841-8770
Friday March 25, 2011 and Friday April 22, 2011 at 11am
Site Tour. Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House Tour with Polly Wanton Lyman. A historic interpreter portraying 1782 resident “Polly” will take guests through the house’s parlor, keeping room, kitchen and bed chambers while telling stories of the house’s great history and discuss life in Revolutionary War-torn Newport. $10 per person, $8 for Newport Historical Society members. Reservations recommended. 401-841-8770
Thursday April 7, 2011 at 6pm
Lecture. Making a Home of Her Own: Newport’s Architectural Patronesses, 1850-1940. Between 1850 and 1940, more than 45 women chose to build a home in Newport. In doing so, these women were expressing power and control at a time when women had few other political rights. This lecture by Dr. Catherine Zipf of Salve Regina University will discuss this remarkable group of women and the architecture they produced. Salve Regina University’s Antone Academic Center. Free admission, donations welcome.
Saturday April 9, 2011 at 11am
Walking Tour. Patronesses on the Point: A Walking Tour of Women and Newport Architecture. Newport’s patronesses changed the face of Ochre Point through their unique domestic designs. Some built fanciful farms, while other explored cutting-edge architectural styles, like the Shingle Style. This tour, led by Dr. Catherine Zipf, will visit some of the notable buildings built by the women of Ochre Point. $12 per person, $10 for NHS members. Reservations required. 401-841-8770
Monday April 11, 2011 at 5:30pm
Lecture. Independent scholar Elizabeth Cazden will present From Slave Trader to Abolitionist: Newport Quaker Tom Robinson, about 18th century Newport merchant who was a key advocate for abolition of slavery despite his upbringing and early years as a slave trader. A joint program with Salve Regina University and the Newport Restoration Foundation. This program takes place at Salve Regina University’s Young Building in the Pell Center. Admission is free; donations welcome.
Thursday March 24, 2011 at 5:30pm
Historian Judy Anderson will present An Affinity with Newport: the 18th century architecture of Marblehead, MA. This lecture will focus on the intriguing historical parallels between Newport, RI and Marblehead, MA. Colony House, Washington Square. $5 per person, $1 NHS members. A joint program with the Newport Restoration Foundation.
Thursday March 31, 2011 at 5:30pm
Author Harry Eudenbach will present Estate Gardeners of Newport: putting a human face on Newport’s horticultural history which highlights how Newport’s rich Colonial history set the stage for two centuries of horticultural pursuits by well-to-do Aquidneck Island estate owners. Colony House, Washington Square. $5 per person, $1 NHS members.
Thursday February 24th at 5:30pm
Norman Desmarais, author of The Guide to the American Revolutionary War in Canada and New England, will discuss The British Defenses of Newport. This lecture focuses on the British occupation during the American Revolution and the defenses that were built prior to the Battle of Rhode Island. Colony House, Washington Square. $5 per person, $1 NHS members.
Thursday March 3, 2011 at 5:30pm
Rosemary Enright and Sue Maden, authors of Jamestown: A History of Narragansett Bay’s Island Town, will discuss Jamestown and share how the island’s history has been shaped by its geography. Colony House, Washington Square, $5 per person, $1 NHS members.
Fridays and Saturdays, November 12 – December 17, 2010, 5pm
Celebrate the authentic history of winter holiday traditions on the Holiday Lantern Tour. Stroll Newport’s streets and hear stories detailing the diverse ways that colonial residents celebrated—or didn’t celebrate—the holiday season and visit the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House’s first floor. $12 per person, $10 for NHS members, $5 for children ages 12 and under. Departs from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market, 127 Thames Street, Newport, RI. Reservations are required as space is limited. Additional tour dates may be added. 401-841-8770.
November 27, December 4, December 11, 2010 at 11:30am
During Keeping Warm in the Colonial Period, visit the c.1697 Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House with a guide wearing colonial costume. Hear about the house’s unique history and learn how 18th century residents made their way through the winter. Meet a historic interpreter portraying 18th century resident Polly Lyman who will discuss winter life in 1782. $15 per person, $10 for NHS members. Departs from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market, 127 Thames Street, Newport, RI. Reservations required. 401-841-8770.
December 1, 2010, 5-6pm
At the Holiday Open House at the Colony House on Washington Square, view the exhibit Handwritten History: Correspondence of Great Americans. The exhibit features large-scale reproductions of 11 letters and documents from the NHS collections all by or about famous individuals or events in American history. This is the last opportunity for the community to view the exhibit. Admission is free. Donations are welcome.
November 13, 2010, 2pm,
Gallery Talk. Dressing Manifest Destiny. Hear about the origins of today’s formal men’s clothing and its origins in the early 19th century during a gallery talk from Dressing Manifest Destiny’s guest curator Matthew Keagle. NHS Headquarters, 82 Touro Street. $5 per person, $1 for NHS members.
November 14, 2010, at 2pm.
Lecture. Allies at Home: The French Occupation of Newport 1780-1. Discover the history of the French occupation of Newport with historian Matthew Keagle. Uncover stories of French soldiers and American citizens who shared the city and hear how Newporters indirectly shaped the Revolution through their interactions with the French militia. Colony House, Washington Square. $5, $1 for NHS members.
October 21, 2010, 6pm
Lecture. NHS, in collaboration with Salve Regina University, will host Gerald M. Carbone, author of Nathanael Greene. Without Rhode Island-born general Nathanael Greene there would be no United States of America, for without Greene America would have lost the Revolution. Despite Greene’s key role in the founding of the United States his story is now little known, even in his native state of Rhode Island. Salve Regina University’s Antone Academic Center in the DiStefano Lecture Hall. Admission is free. Donations welcome.
October 23, 2010 11:30
Newport’s Buried History Tour. Listen to stories about Newport’s people of color, enslaved and free. Visit the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House and the colonial African burial ground. Departs from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market. $12 per person, $10 for NHS members. Reservations suggested.
October 30, 2010 at 11:30
Common Burial Ground Tour. Explore Newport’s colonial graveyard, the Common Burial Ground, with an expert guide. Visit resting places of governors, congressmen,merchants, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and “God’s Little Acre,” the oldest marked African American burial ground in America. Departs from the Museum & Shop at Brick Market. $12 per person, $10 NHS members. Reservations strongly suggested for this debut tour.
November 4, 2010, 6pm
Lecture: Suited for Sea: US Navy Enlisted Uniforms During the War of 1812. For years, many believed that seamen who served in the early American navy were free to dress as they chose with little regard for uniformity. But this is a myth. Senior officers, determined to shape public perception, imposed strict uniform requirements on the men under their command. New research by Matthew Brencklet reveals that the Navy had a sophisticated procurement system to provide sailors with affordable clothing, even during war. Colony House, Washington Square. $5 per person, $1 for NHS members. Reservations requested. This event sponsored by Houlihan, Managhan & Kyle, LTD; Newport Fed; and Hotel Viking.
September 23, 2010, 6pm
Lecture. Kathryn Allamong Jacob, author of King of the Lobby, will discuss how Sam Ward, a colorful character with a Newport connection and brother to Julia Ward Howe, harnessed delicious food, fine wine and good conversation to become the most influential lobbyist of the Gilded Age. Colony House, Washington Square. $5 per person, $1 for NHS members. Reservations requested.
Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 5:30pm
Lecture. Andrew Lizak will present “The Fall River Line and the 1937 America’s Cup Spectator Fleet Off Newport in Color.” This program will offer a brief history of the Fall River Line steamships, highlighting Newport’s involvement with the Fall River Line from its founding in 1847 through its demise in 1937. Colony House on Washington Square; $5 per person, $1 NHS members. Reservations requested. 401-841-8770
Thursday, June 9, 2011 at 5:30pm
Lecture. Andrew Lizak will present “The Fall River Line and the 1937 America’s Cup Spectator Fleet Off Newport in Color.” This program will offer a brief history of the Fall River Line steamships, highlighting Newport’s involvement with the Fall River Line from its founding in 1847 through its demise in 1937. Colony House on Washington Square; $5 per person, $1 NHS members. Reservations requested. 401-841-8770
Friday – Sunday, August 12 – 14, 2011
The Newport Antiques Show celebrates five years. Join us for the region’s premier Antiques Show with over 40 deluxe dealers at St. George’s School in Middletown, RI. Preview party Friday night is $150, 6-9PM. Admission to the Show is $12, Saturday 10-6, Sunday 10-5. Booth talks and other events are scheduled. Call 401-846-0813 for additional information.
Friday – Sunday, August 12 – 14, 2011
The Newport Antiques Show celebrates five years. Join us for the region’s premier Antiques Show with over 40 deluxe dealers at St. George’s School in Middletown, RI. Preview party Friday night is $150, 6-9PM. Admission to the Show is $12, Saturday 10-6, Sunday 10-5. Booth talks and other events are scheduled. Call 401-846-0813 for additional information.
