Newport Historical Society

This set of 18th century andirons, from the Newport Historical Society’s collections, are a central part of the new exhibit Hearth in Home: Keeping Warm in Early Newport at the Brick Market: Museum & Shop in Newport, RI.

Throughout the winter staying warm is on everyone’s mind. Today gas or oil furnaces in the basement provide heat when the temperature drops, but two centuries ago Newporters relied on their hearths to warm themselves and their homes. 

The Newport Historical Society’s new exhibit at the Brick Market: Museum & Shop, home to the Museum of Newport History, entitled Hearth in Home: Keeping Warm in Early Newport, explores the hearth, the fuels and tools used to start and maintain the fires that kept Newporters warm before the modern thermostat.

It is the first exhibit at the Museum of Newport History that utilizes smart phone technology. A QR code, which is unique to each exhibit label, allows museum visitors to scan the code linking to a page in the Newport Historical Society’s mobile app Explore Historic Newport. This page offers a greater depth of information than be included on an exhibit label and includes photos. For example, by scanning the QR code on the label for the Society’s newly acquired andiron, a visitor can read more about the items’ history, construction and function.

A screen shot from the Newport Historical Society’s mobile app Explore Historic Newport which offers more information about the items exhibited in Hearth in Home: Keeping Warm in Early Newport.

Hearth in Home is the first exhibit at the Museum of Newport History that utilizes smart phone technology. A QR code, which is unique to each exhibit label, allows museum visitors to scan the code linking to a page in the Newport Historical Society’s mobile app Explore Historic Newport. This page offers a greater depth of information than be included on an exhibit label and includes photos. For example, by scanning the QR code on the label for the Society’s newly acquired andiron, a visitor can read more about the items’ history, construction and function.

In June 2012, the NHS launched the mobile guidebook Explore Historic Newport with Lila Delman Real Estate. The guidebook is distinct because it is accessible on all internet-enabled devices which allows visitors in person and those exploring from home to experience the city’s rich history. By including information from Hearth in Home in Explore Historic Newport there is a virtual exhibit that anyone can visit at any time.

Hearth in Home: Keeping Warm in Early Newport runs through May 2013 at the Brick Market: Museum & Shop, located at 127 Thames Street, Newport, RI. The museum is open daily at 10am. For more information call: 401-841-8770. Web visitors can experience the virtual exhibit through the Explore Historic Newport app by visiting: NewportHistoryApp.com.

This summer, Rebecca Soules, 2012 Buchanan-Burnham intern, created the prototype for a digital map of Newport’s Common Burying Ground that will mark and identify gravestones within the burying ground. With over 7,900 gravestones, some dating back to the 1660s, the Common Burying Ground is the largest colonial-era cemetery in Newport. Thus far, approximately 700 out of the 7,900 gravestones have been added to the map.

Primarily intended to map religious affiliation within the burying ground, each of the icons on the map is color-coded according to the deceased’s religious affiliation:

White — Religious Affiliation Unknown
Red — Trinity Church (Anglican/Episcopalian)
Blue — 1^st Baptist Church
Purple — 2^nd Baptist Church
Turquoise — 7^th Day Baptist Church
Yellow — 1^st Congregational Church
Green — 2^nd Congregational Church
Grey — United Brethren Church (Moravian)
Brown — Society of Friends (Quaker)

Click HERE to view a full page version of the map or see below. You can zoom in closer to look at individual gravestones. Click on any of the icons to learn more about the deceased.