Newport Historical Society

09/08/2026

Join us for our upcoming History Happy Hour🍾

On Tuesday, September 15th the "OCCUPIED! Newport and the Fight for Independence" exhibition will remain open past normal business hours from 4pm to 7pm for happy hour🍹

History Happy Hour lets you visit the "OCCUPIED!" exhibition on your time! Haven't seen the exhibit yet because of your work schedule? Need an activity between your scheduled Tuesday night dinner? History Happy Hour is a perfect way to see the exhibition outside of the NHS' normal business hours.

History Happy Hour is not a ticketed event or structured program. Entry is donation based, RSVPs can be made ahead of time by visiting https://newporthistory.org/event/september-hhh/

Photo credit 📸 Madison Van Wylen Photography

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day from the Newport Historical Society🛠️

Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.

Since its official signing into law by President Grover Cleveland in 1894, Americans have celebrated labor day with speeches, parades, and parties as seen through this photograph of the Newport Horticultural Society's float from the Labor Day Car Parade in September of 1922.

Information sourced from the U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history

Photo from Labor Day Car Parade of the Newport Horticultural Society float, September 1922, P4983. Collections of the Newport Historical Society.

09/04/2026

Upcoming Program 📅 "A Peaceful Patch of Earth: Blacks in Jamestown, Rhode Island, in a Time of Racial Turbulence in America, 1850-1920" with Peter Fay & Valerie J. Southern

In Jamestown, a thriving Black community took root far earlier, in the late 19th century. "A Peaceful Patch of Earth" explores their remarkable journey in a time marked by racial turbulence in America.

More than simply a local history, "A Peaceful Patch of Earth" also documents the rise and response of Black America to the racial oppression and explosive changes shaping the nation before and after the Civil War, from 1850 to 1920. Fay and Southern connect Rhode Island to pivotal events in history and underscore its presence and contributions to the national struggle for freedom and civil rights, such as Isaac Rice’s warm embrace of frightened Underground Railroad freedom seekers in Newport and the training of nearly two thousand Black Civil War soldiers on Dutch Island near Jamestown.

For more information and to purchase tickets for this program visit NewportHistory.org/events/

📅Thursday, September 10th, 2026
📍Richard I. Burnham Resource Center | 82 Touro Street, Newport
🎟️Admission $15 – $20 per person | *Student Discounts now available $10 with valid student ID
🕰️6:30pm to 7:30pm Lecture at the Richard I. Burnham Resource Center
*Doors open at 5:30pm for a complimentary reception at the Edward W. Kane & Martha J. Wallace Center for Black History at the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House*

09/03/2026

Newport History Tours, a program of the Newport Historical Society, is Newport’s leading tour provider and has been recognized for its excellence by multiple media and hospitality experts, including Yankee Magazine. Led by experienced and knowledgeable guides, these tours offer a captivating journey through Newport’s storied streets.

Inside a square mile, Newport holds untold treasures for you to explore, including some of the nation’s most consequential colonial landmarks.

Discover our city’s rich past through notable historic buildings and a beautiful seaside backdrop on walking tours that celebrate the many voices that make up our history, including the Black and Indigenous peoples whose ancestral lands we occupy and whose unwilling labor built the community through which we walk and learn, together.

Curious about the people, places, and moments that shaped Newport? So are we. The Newport Historical Society is committed to preserving and celebrating Newport history, and our tour guides are here to learn and share it with you.

For more information and to purchase tickets for a walking tour visit, NewportHistory.org/tours/

Photo credit 📸 Madison Van Wylen photography

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

Did you know that German troops were stationed in and around Newport during the British Occupation of the city?

German-speaking soldiers, commonly referred to as "Hessian" soldiers, made up nearly a third of the British Army in Newport.

Six regiments from Hesse-Cassel and Ansbach were quartered near the Great Friends Meeting House, which served as a regimental hospital. In Middletown, the German troops set up a headquarters at a Paradise Avenue house, later called the "Hessian House". The home was raised in 1898, but images of it exist in the NHS collections.

Although they spoke an unfamiliar language, German soldiers actively participated in the occupied town’s social life, rubbing shoulders with Newporters of all classes.

Learn more about the presence of Hessian soldiers during the British Occupation of Newport in our current exhibition "OCCUPIED! Newport and the Fight for Independence". This exhibition is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm at the NHS headquarters located at 82 Touro Street, Newport.

A photograph of a house that was used by the Hessians as a headquarters during the American Revolution, Middletown. Undated, P8755. Collections of the Newport Historical Society

09/01/2026

There is no better place to celebrate than at the Colony House 🍾

The Colony House is one of Newport's most unique venues! Located in the heart of the oldest part of the city, this building features a mix of historic charm and modern conveniences.

Enjoy an intimate ceremony in the second floor Chamber of Deputies or celebrate your next big accomplishment with all of your friends and family in the First Floor Great Hall, no matter what the event is, the Colony House is the perfect choice.

For more information and to rent the Colony House for your event reach out to us by email at [email protected] or online at https://newporthistory.org/events/rent-a-venue/

08/31/2026

If you haven't already heard, the Newport Historical Society recently announced the launch of the Brick Market Campaign 🎉

This new campaign will transform the 1762 Brick Market building and its 1993 Museum of Newport History into a premier small museum in New England!

The NHS imagines a Museum of Newport History that engages visitors of all ages and backgrounds, including family-friendly elements, rotating collections displays, and interactive touchscreen content that is regularly updated with new research. This space isn't a one-and-done; it is thoughtfully designed to prioritize new and fresh content, driving repeat visitation for locals and tourists alike.

To make this vision a reality, we are looking for the help of our friends, visitors, and followers! A contribution to the Brick Market Campaign makes you a part of the next chapter in the historic building's life and paves the way for the future of the Museum of Newport History.

To make a contribution to the Brick Market Campaign or to learn more visit https://newporthistory.org/brick-market-campaign/

Image 1: A photograph of the Brick Market and surrounding buildings on Thames Street and Long Wharf. Undated, P168. Collections of the Newport Historical Society.
Image 2: Rendering of the first floor of the New Museum of Newport History.
Image 3: Image of the Brick Market by Matthew Lanni.

08/28/2026

On this day in Rhode Island History 📜

On 28 August 1778 General Sullivan ordered the American forces on Aquidneck Island to retreat to the north and hold positions at Butts Hill, with flanks on the east road and west road. The initial military attack on British soldiers, who then occupied Aquidneck Island, is known as the Battle of Rhode Island. The battle was a joint French and American attack on occupying British troops following the signing of a Franco-American alliance in February of 1778.

The official retreat document, seen here, signed by Adjutant General William Peck, forwards orders to Colonel John Laurens who followed the west road and engaged the British at Butt’s Hill the following day. Col. John Laurens (1754-1782) was a member of Washington’s staff and served at Brandywine, Monmouth, Germantown, Valley Forge and Yorktown.

View this retreat order in person in our current exhibition "OCCUPIED! Newport and the Fight for Independence" at the NHS headquarters, open Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm.

A retreat order written for the Continental Army during the Battle of Rhode Island, August 28, 1778. Created by Adjutant General William Peck, FIC.2013.34. Collections of the Newport Historical Society.

08/27/2026

📅Upcoming Program: "The Intoxicating History of the American Revolution" with historian Brooke Barbier

Eighteenth-century Americans consumed a staggering amount of alcohol compared to us today. Drink influenced their politics, built and sustained their relationships, and drove the economy. Booze was not a small part of colonial society, nor covertly consumed in private spaces—it was integral to American life. When the colonists rebelled against the British Empire, this culture of drink and taverns helped foster revolution.

Join historian Brooke Barbier for a lively talk about the influence of tavern and drinking culture on the American Revolution. You’ll hear about the way alcohol influenced colonial resistance, soldiers on both sides of the war, and the creation of a new nation. You’ll see famous founders and lesser-known Patriots drink their way from British subjects into Americans.

For more information and to purchase tickets for this program visit, NewportHistory.org/calendar-of-events/

📅Thursday, September 3rd, 2026
📍The Colony House | Washington Square, Newport
🎟️Admission $15 – $20 per person | *Student Discounts now available $10 with valid student ID
🕰️6pm to 7pm; doors open at 5pm for a complimentary reception