The story of Rhode Island is filled with the stories of groundbreaking women. We share these stories in many ways, including in our publications and our social media accounts. This month, we are sharing a list of resources including programs, educational tools, and articles to highlight the important women who have changed Rhode Island and the world.

This page will continue to be updated throughout the month of March. If you have suggestions of resources to be added to this page, please email communications@rihs.org.

Programs • Exhibits • Reading Lists • Tools for Educators

  • Preparing for the Providence Tea Party: A Living History Event: Join the John Brown House Museum on Saturday, March 1, when a group of living historians will take over the museum to share opposing viewpoints on the Providence Tea Party. On March 2, 1775, the women of Providence showed their disdain for British authority by protesting at Market Place and burning tea. Guests will sample historical teas from Ocean State Spice & Tea as loyalists and patriots “spill the tea” and persuade you to join their side.

  • HerStory: Historic Women of the East Side Walking Tours: The John Brown House Museum will offer the walking tour “HerStory: Historic Women of the East Side” at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, and Saturday, March 22.  This walking tour, which covers just over a half mile on Providence’s East Side, highlights women’s stories from the 18th century through the present day. From educators, artists, and unsung heroes, this is the story of the women of the East Side.

  • Celebrating the Women of Rhode Island Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow with the Junior League: Join the Junior League of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Historical Society for an evening highlighting the role of women in Rhode Island over the past 100 years and the opportunities for the future. The event features a brief speaking program on the Junior League’s history in Rhode Island, comments on the state of women and girls in RI today by Dana Borrelli-Murray, CEO of Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England, and the outlook for the next 100 years of community impact.

  • Fashion in the Times of Sylvia DeWolf Ostrander (1841-1925) with Rebecca Kelly: Join the John Brown House Museum on Thursday, March 13, for Fashion in the Times of Sylvia DeWolf Ostrander (1841-1925), a talk by fashion historian Rebecca Kelly. This event is in support of the exhibit, The Girl of My Dreams, Sylvia: A 19th Century Life from artist Stacy Morrison. The talk will begin at 5:30 p.m., when Kelly will discuss the radical changes in fashion that Sylvia would have witnessed during her lifetime.

  • The Girl of My Dreams, Sylvia: A 19th Century Life: This temporary exhibit at the John Brown House Museum, highlights the contents of a small 19th century trunk discarded on a New York City street that once belonged to Sylvia DeWolf Ostrander (1841-1925), a resident of Bristol, Rhode Island. Artist Stacy Morrison reimagines Sylvia’s life through photography, painting and textiles that blur the past and present. The result is a microhistory that brings to life a Victorian woman’s forgotten story.
  • Vibrance/Essence(n): Defining Color and Texture: Hosted by the University of Rhode Island Department of Art and Art History and the College of Arts and Sciences, Vibrance/Essence(n) showcases the work of a dozen women artists of various mediums.

  • Library of Congress Women’s History Month Website: The Library of Congress website honoring Women’s History Month includes online information from the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

  • Encompass- Women’s Suffrage in Rhode Island: Explore the history of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Rhode Island with essays and primary sources, along with lesson plans and additional materials, including video clips and oral histories.