The Burning of the Gaspee
The following is a guest post by RIHS intern Jessica Chandler. When the Gaspee, an armed British Navy ship, became … Continue reading The Burning of the Gaspee
The following is a guest post by RIHS intern Jessica Chandler. When the Gaspee, an armed British Navy ship, became … Continue reading The Burning of the Gaspee
Here are few photos from our March 1 walking tour of Providence’s historic Elmwood neighborhood. The still-cold weather didn’t stop … Continue reading Elmwood Walking Tour
While we have been concentrating on disaster recovery over the past several weeks (and the gallery has some new photos), … Continue reading Object Thursday: Landscapes
We’ve been busy this week, but not as busy as US Art. They are tasked with packing the entire contents … Continue reading There goes the Reading Room…
April showers, May flowers—who has patience to wait for those?! This cold and slush-filled winter week we bring you some … Continue reading Object Thursday: February Blooms
With the cold weather we’ve had lately, soup seems especially appealing. This Chinese export porcelain tureen in the shape of … Continue reading Object Thursday: Soup Tureen
Children all over Rhode Island are looking forward to a snow day, and wondering why some of them had school … Continue reading Object Thursday: Sledding in Saylesville
Elsewhere in the world, it’s Boxing Day, the uniquely British Commonwealth holiday when servants and working people received Christmas boxes … Continue reading Object Thursday: A Band Box for Boxing Day
George Washington died December 14, 1799. The A true man of the 18th Century, he passed away just as it … Continue reading Object Thursday: Death of Washington
Rhode Island’s reputation as the Jewelry Capital of the World was born and developed in Providence around 1786. Some of … Continue reading Object Thursday: Metal Crafts
Three hundred and fifty years ago, Great Britain, France and Spain concluded a world war with a Treaty signed on … Continue reading "to render Sincere THANKS"
By you probably know how much I like the Reverend Enos Hitchcock in all his forms and centuries. We are … Continue reading A perfidious wretch: Hitchcock's sermon on Arnold's treason
The RIHS has a small but lovely collection of Gorham Manufacturing Company catalogs from the last quarter of the nineteenth … Continue reading Object Thursday: Gorham Silver
The Reverend Enos Hitchcock is an interesting figure, not only for his role as a Continental Army chaplain during the … Continue reading Object Thursday: Accounting for Overhalls
Just back from conservation and display in Boston, tonight’s Brief Encounter will feature the ca. 1745 British Grenadier’s cap from … Continue reading Object Thursday: Grenadier's Caps at Gallery Night
The Society recently received a gift of a nickel plated Parkinson’s Electric Royal Ice Pick, 1880-1930. Not having heard of … Continue reading Object Thursday: Parkinson's Electric Royal Ice Pick
What makes a world view? In 1822 a geography book for schools was printed in Providence by Miller & Hutchens … Continue reading Object Thursday: R.I. World View in 1822
Little eyes and little hands needed books too. The Rhode Island Historical Society holds a lovely collection of children’s books … Continue reading Object Thursday: Little Benjamin, or, Confess your Faults
September 21 marks the 75th anniversary of the Hurricane of 1938 and in writing this entry, I could think of … Continue reading Nature's Fury, The '38 Hurricane
The Narragansett Basket is one of only two surviving 17th-century Algonkian baskets in the world. Despite an accompanying note describing … Continue reading Object Thursday: The Narragansett Basket
As soon as humans developed a sewing needle that could stab you in the finger while sewing presumably the thimble … Continue reading Object Thursday: A Thimble Full
As the end of August approaches, school has started for many students, and summer feels like it’s over. Labor Day … Continue reading Object Thursday: The Foundry
In an age of all things digital, this blog post included, I thought I would shine today’s light on a … Continue reading Object Thursday: Engraving Plates
As we prepare for 2013’s What Cheer! Day, to be held Saturday, October 5, I’ve been thinking about caps. We’ll … Continue reading Object Thursday: Thinking Caps
As we digitize and expand the catalog records for the miniatures in the Society’s museum collection, we make connections to … Continue reading Object Thursday: Rhode Island Literary Repository
In 1834,Timothy Ruggles Green had this “lover’s eye” miniature made for Cornelia E. Arnold, whom he would marry the following … Continue reading Object Thursday: T. F. Green’s Grandfather’s Eye
The well-documented smallpox epidemic in Boston in 1721, with its ensuing inoculation controversy, was by no means the end of … Continue reading Object Thursday: Keeping Smallpox Out of R.I., 1729.
Well, these are not exactly the kind of sweet and delicious donuts that you pickup at your local coffee shop. … Continue reading Object Thursday – A Box Full of Donuts
On this Thursday, July 4, 2013, how are you celebrating? Some of us are watching parades, and some of us … Continue reading Object Thursday: Julia Bowen's diary
The Encyclopedia of Ephemera [a.] lists over 500 categories of ephemera that have been created over the years. Ephemera have … Continue reading Object Thursday: Ephemera!
Samplers invoke mixed reactions from people, they either love them, they hate them or they have never heard of them. … Continue reading Object Thursday: A Stitch in Time
June 14th is National Flag Day! To help get you in the mood to fly the American Flag today, we … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Flag Day
With summer quickly approaching our thoughts in Rhode Island turn to the sea. For many, our thoughts are always with … Continue reading Object Thursday: Oh the Places You’ll Go
James MacSparran (1693-1757) was an Irish born Anglican minister who arrived in Narragansett on April 28, 1721 to take charge … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: The Reverend and the Governor
69 years ago today, the Allies launched the invasion of Europe. Many of us are familiar with D-Day from the … Continue reading Object Thursday: D-Day Diary
On May 29, 1790, Rhode Island finally voted to ratify the new United States constitution. This broadside, printed on May … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: The Great American Family
In keeping with the theme of unreadable media that the Society holds, this week we highlight the 90 direct to … Continue reading Object Thursday: Electric Transcription Discs
He was born on March 3, 1744 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and came to Providence after the Revolutionary War. When fighting … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Enos Hitchcock, Army Chaplain
This week in Providence there is music in the air. That and tens of thousands of parents and alumni of … Continue reading Object Thursday: Brunoniana
Until 5:30 yesterday, I’d planned to write about Enos Hitchcock, Revolutionary War chaplain. But after an hour and a half … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: At the State House
Of all the paintings in the RIHS Collection, this is probably my favorite landscape, though its sister painting, made by … Continue reading Object Thursday: Providence from Across the Cove, 1818
We’re ready; are you? Join us tomorrow for a full day of tours exploring the Faith & Freedom theme at … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Exhibit & Tours Tomorrow!
On Saturday, we open a new exhibition on this year’s interpretive theme, Faith and Freedom. We were busy through the … Continue reading Object Thursday: Faith & Freedom Exhibit and Tours
Mark Toney, a Vallejo, California native, came in 1978 to study at Brown University and became active in the peace … Continue reading Faith and Freedom Friday: Workers' Association for Guaranteed Employment (WAGE)
This week, April 21st through the 27th, is the American Library Association’s National Preservation Week. In the lobby of the … Continue reading Object Thursdays: Preservation Matters
Once upon a time on Benefit Street stood a church that looked like this. The First Congregational Church, now the … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Sweet Sampler
These two prayer benches (or kneeling benches) belonged to John Snow of Providence, where he used them in the Second … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Pew Rental
Every object tells a story, and sometimes more than one. In the RIHS Museum collection, we have a very beautiful … Continue reading Object Thursday: Not at Bunker Hill– A British Officer’s Cap
In a time when women were rarely published and could not vote, Catherine Read Williams was a self-supporting author and … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday:A Petticoated Dorrite
In our column, Object Thursday, we highlight many of the cool collection items that we care for and make accessible … Continue reading Object Thursday: Reading the Unreadable – 2 inch Quad Videotape in the Stacks
On Saturday, April 17, 1841, the Suffrage Association of Rhode Island held a Suffrage Parade. The members of the Association … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Revolution and Rebellion
This small, precisely engineered, beautiful example of Victorian engineering is a Wilcox & Gibbs sewing machine. As an object its … Continue reading Object Thursday: Sewing with Brown and Sharpe
As winter comes to its end we are reminded that even the darkest days of snow and ice eventually thaw. … Continue reading Object Thursday: Empires of the Mind
On December 5, 1966, 20 year old U.S. Army Specialist 4, McGreary Littlejohn was killed while serving in the Vietnam … Continue reading Faith and Freedom Friday: "A Christian Ethic for Viet Nam"
It’s not your typical Casual Friday, but it was a Wonderful Wednesday morning. Dana Signe Munroe, Justin Squizzero and I … Continue reading Object Thursday: Linen Corsets and Leather Pants
The Wide-Awake movement formed in March, 1860, after a speech by Cassius Clay in Hartford, CT. Originally a club of … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Rhode Island Wide-Awakes
Born on July 6, 1912, Raymond James Pettine knew from an early age that he wanted a career in law … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Raymond J. Pettine
As another day of cold winter rain seeps into our bones, we cannot help but day dream of spring. As … Continue reading Object Thursday: February Flowers
He appraises us through the paint with a skeptical look, his eyebrow raised and his mouth nearly a smirk—or is … Continue reading Faith & Freedom Friday: Thomas Howland
Howard Chapin’s 1931 Gazateer of Rhode Island may not be a thing of beauty, but its five hundred and one … Continue reading Object Thursday: What is a Gazetteer?
What says Valentine’s Day like borrowing a thousand pounds of chocolate? This is one of the few documents found in … Continue reading Object Thursday: Chocolate Mysteries
I’ll admit it now: I’m not from here. So the first winter I was in grad school in Providence, I … Continue reading Object Thursday: The Blizzard Shirt
On January 8th, I had the pleasure of spending the whole day with collections researchers. This is not as common … Continue reading Object Thursday: In the Pocket
John Brown, by all estimates, was not a small man. His waistcoat measurements lead one historical clothing expert to estimate … Continue reading Object Thursday: A Chair, and the Measure of a Man
Artist/ Rebel/ Dandy: Men of Fashion will open to the public at the RISD Museum on April 28, 2013 and … Continue reading Mad Hats!
So I’m minding my own business, cataloging a Baltimore Imprint of “Fables Amusantes” from the RIHS vault that was printed … Continue reading Friends in Books
Last week I got a call from someone asking for the address of S. J. Perelman, cartoonist, screenwriter, parodist and … Continue reading Baby It's Cold Outside
The Rhode Island Historical Society is deeply saddened to announce the impending loss of one of our beloved elm trees … Continue reading Elm Tree at the John Brown House
or, Love, Loss, and What She Didn’t Wear She gazes serenely from the wall at the John Brown House Museum, … Continue reading Object Thursdays: Eleanor Cozzens Feke
Small shuttles made of bone, ivory, wood, silver and other metals can be found in the sewing boxes of women … Continue reading Object Thursdays – Small Netting Shuttles
Rhode Island is steeped in musical history from the Algonkins to Sissieretta Jones all the way up to the present … Continue reading Object Thursdays: Bobby Hackett
This Object Thursday, we bring you a favorite: an important item of Rhode Island Judaica: A Lunar Calendar, of the Festivals, … Continue reading Object Thursdays: A Lunar Calendar
If you are a member of RIHS you may recognize the photograph here from our recent annual campaign postcard. Perhaps … Continue reading Object Thursdays- The Foot Race
The phrase that leaps out at me from this broadside is “abstain from the Servile Labour of their common Callings.” … Continue reading Object Thursdays: A Proclamation of Thanksgiving
The Society’s collection of maritime records includes a large number of ships logs in MSS 828: The Ships’ Logs Collection. … Continue reading Object Thursdays – Ship's Log
The Library holds a treasure trove of material that dates back to our beginnings in 1822. My favorite objects are … Continue reading Object Thursdays – Office Technology
Pocketbooks, quite literally a book shaped object with a pocket (or two or more), from the 17th through 19th centuries … Continue reading Object Thursdays – Pocketbook
Most of us a have a rebel or two in the extended family tree, but how many of us have … Continue reading Your Revolutionary Past
Today wasn’t quite the day any of us had planned. We were closed here at the RIHS Library due to … Continue reading (Emergency) Repairs Complete
Due to water main work, the RIHS Library will be CLOSED on Wednesday, October 17, 2012. We expect to re-open … Continue reading News Flash! Library Closed October 17, 2012
One of the most rewarding things about working at the RIHS is the opportunity to share our wonderful collections with … Continue reading History Many Ways: What Cheer! Day 2012
On September 5, the boiler at the RIHS Library was officially pronounced dead, having suffered a fatal crack in two … Continue reading Bye-bye, boiler!
It’s a busy week for us here at the RIHS, as everyone prepares for our first What Cheer! Day on … Continue reading What Cheer! Day Preparation Underway
As part of What Cheer Day on October 13, RIHS Library will offer Collections Sneak Peaks at 11 am and … Continue reading What Cheer Day Conference at RIHS
New data and photograph files about burials in the Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries (RIHC) Database have just been added to … Continue reading RI Cemetery Database Updated
What did the past smell like? I think that’s something many of us would like to know about the past. … Continue reading Smelling Providence
Opening September 20th, the Rhode Island Historical Society will host the Firefly Grove in the courtyard of the John Brown House Museum. … Continue reading Fireflies in the Courtyard
This coming weekend, I’ll be joining in at the Coggeshall Farm Harvest Fair, along with RIHS Registrar Dana Signe Munroe. … Continue reading Framing a Plan
Starting tomorrow, Saturday, September 8, members of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society will be available at RIHS Library to assist … Continue reading Help for Genealogists!
Since 1827, five years after the founding of the Rhode Island Historical Society, we have been publishing books, periodicals, and … Continue reading Early RIHS Publications Online
You spoke and we listened! Thank you to all who answered our membership survey. Based on your feedback we’ve made … Continue reading Reduced Copy and Camera Fees!
As Tolstoy knew, war and peace go hand in hand so it’s appropriate to the 2012 RIHS theme of Rhode … Continue reading The Pursuit of Peace in Rhode Island
Each day we work at the museum, we get a little closer to finishing the exhibit installation. The cases in … Continue reading Sneak a Peak at the Gallery
The collections staff at the John Brown House Museum has been working for several months preparing the former silver and … Continue reading Behind the Scenes at the Museum
In Early May the library exterior was covered in scaffolding to prepare for the work on the new library roof—no … Continue reading Rooftop Views of Providence
In the process of helping to create a year of programming based on “Rhode Island at War,” and as a … Continue reading Memorial Day: Remembering Rhode Island’s Early Veterans
While most of the Society’s library materials start with 1636, the date of the founding of the Providence, the Printed … Continue reading RIHS Ink: Why So Old
First we were a Local Treasure in the January-February 2012 issue of Yankee Magazine, and now the museum has been … Continue reading John Brown House Museum: Yankee Magazine Editors Choice Award
Thanks to our neighbor up Hope Street, ecoRI.org, the news about the Society’s recent IMLS grant award and plans to … Continue reading Making the News
In another serendipitous moment, while looking for a sheet of much earlier 5-cent stamps, I found this: The USS Nathanael … Continue reading Nuclear Nathanael Greene
Two full months before the Continental Congress in Philadelphia declared independence from Great Britain, the General Assembly of Rhode Island … Continue reading Happy Rhody Independence Day!
The John Brown House wore scaffold of steel, planks and mesh for a few seasons. Now it’s the Library’s turn. … Continue reading New look, same schedule
In October, the RIHS applied for a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the Conservation … Continue reading Great Grant News!
We arrived at 8, and started cleaning at 10. We finished a little after 4, with three rooms and two … Continue reading All Cleaned Up
In keeping with the Society’s year long theme of Rhode Island at War, I decided to spotlight the Gertrude C. … Continue reading Hot doughnuts and the front, Rhode Island and the First World War
An article in today’s New York Times presents the case a larger total of Civil War casualties. In a paper published … Continue reading Civil War Science
Here at the RIHS, we talk a great deal about our Mission, and check everything we do and collect against … Continue reading Robot Curators, or, How Museums Make Us Human
Technically, it’s not a corset. The garment driving me mad is a set of stays patterned from an original in … Continue reading Crazy Corsets
On March 22, 1860, a group of enterprising amateur historians set about excavating the grave of Roger Williams. I realized … Continue reading The Root of the Matter
Eighteenth and 21st centuries meet at the John Brown House Museum when RIHS Director of Collections Kirsten Hammerstrom and Registrar … Continue reading A Day of Experimental Archaeology
Among the 19th century Rhode Island women I’ve been introduced to at RIHS Library, Elizabeth Buffum Chace (1806-1899) may be … Continue reading Conscientious Convictions
Here at the RIHS, we’re working on a year of interpretive programming built around the theme “Rhode Island at War,” … Continue reading Bag A Squirrel
Have you been pining for JSTOR? I know I have, and I was delighted by the Early Journal Content. (That’s … Continue reading Register and Read
Monday, February 20, is the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s three-earth-orbit flight in the Mercury spacecraft called Friendship 7. In … Continue reading Rhode Island’s Right Stuff
Students from the MET School in Providence visited the library this week to research primary documents about the Civil War. … Continue reading Library Welcomes MET School Scholars
When is the same book not the same book? One of my greatest joys at the Library has been cataloging … Continue reading Tale of Two Books
To celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we are looking back at … Continue reading In Honor and Memory: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Our January presentation in the Library’s display case gives us a glimpse at the important features in our state’s efforts … Continue reading The War on Tuberculosis
New England troops had a cold Christmas in 1777 at Valley Forge. Most of us are familiar with the story—ragged, … Continue reading Cold Christmas
Lucy Lockett lost her pocket Kitty Fisher found it Not a penny was there in it Only ribbon round it … Continue reading What's in a Pocket?
Perception is reality, but how does a soldier’s own reality color his perception? For Jeremiah Greenman of the 2nd Rhode … Continue reading Fire Cake & Water: Soldiers’ Winter Part III
A recent reference inquiry led to a partially successful search for information on a twelve ton boat fitted out by … Continue reading Wild goose-foot paddle boat chase
There is yet another Rhode Island record of the events at Fort Mifflin: the letters of Ebenezer David, Chaplain of … Continue reading Soldiers' Winter Part II
Sometimes you find the best things in a random way: thanks to an emailed reference question, I discovered the diary … Continue reading Soldiers’ Winter
At an event commemorating the 235th anniversary of the Fall of Fort Lee in New Jersey, I watched the re-enactors’ … Continue reading One for the Little Boy
In the beginning, there were Wampanoag and Narragansett people, among others. There were villages and crops, the ocean and the … Continue reading Rhode Island Begins
Tomorrow is Veterans Day, and we hope you will join us at the Museum of Work & Culture at 11:00 … Continue reading Unknown Soldiers
On Wednesday, October 26, we were fortunate enough to have Colin Porter, Ph.D. candidate at Brown, speak about the archaeology … Continue reading Jireh Bull Garrison House
Picture a lonely night in Omaha. Maybe it’s raining. And the heart of one soul longs for…..Rhode Island! This little … Continue reading Song of Rhode Island
Ever dreamed you could visualize the growth of the Newspaper Trade across the country? Well our day has come. This … Continue reading Newspapers Conquer America!
As we enter Hurricane Season in Providence we count ourselves lucky to have seen Hurricane IRENE pass by without causing … Continue reading ON THE SECOND DAY AFTER IRENE — ALL IS WELL (AND DRY) IN THE RIHS LIBRARY
Credit: BigTallGuy, from Flickr New Policy! Cameras allowed starting July 1 at the RIHS Library! The Rhode Island Historical Society … Continue reading New Policy! Cameras allowed starting July 1 at the RIHS Library!
Dr. Paul Robinson’s recent lecture on Native American sites now under investigation in Rhode Island drew a crowd of over 100 people. … Continue reading Native American Reading List
RIHS invites Dr. Paul Robinson, Principal State Archaeologist at the RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, to report on Native … Continue reading Native Villages of Rhode Island
! Happy Independence Day Rhode Island! Two full months before the Continental Congress in Philadelphia declared independence from Great Britain, … Continue reading Happy Rhody Independence Day!
Christine DeLucia, a NERFC scholar who carried out research at the RIHS Library last fall, has recently been given the … Continue reading Memory Frontier
People are most familiar with Horace Mann (1796-1859) for his dedicated work for public education. But he applied the same … Continue reading Who’s the Mann?
The American-French Genealogical Society sent out a request for assistance recently. The AFGS has been extremely busy with new and … Continue reading A Helping Hand
After the war, Miss Bray compiled notes from her diaries and letters home into a typed manuscript now owned by … Continue reading Somewhere in France…part 2
March is Women’s History Month, and we’re marking it in the Library’s display case by featuring the volunteer work Rhode … Continue reading Somewhere in France…part 1
Good students have been getting rewards of one kind or another for a long time, and the companies producing and … Continue reading Job Well Done
As you’re making your weekend plans don’t forget that the Historical Society still has two nights in our series of … Continue reading Night at the Movies
From the 29 September 1961 Pawtucket Times:
We had such a great turnout and so much interest in last Wednesday’s program that we wanted to post some … Continue reading Trails of Memory
Here at the RIHS, we realize there are many ways of interpreting and presenting the history of a place; most … Continue reading Imago Mundi
The Historical Society’s book sale starts this evening at 5:00 (and runs to 8:00). Tomorrow’s hours are 10:00 am to … Continue reading The Moment is at Hand
If you’ve ever wondered what the import tariff on tallow candles, tamarind juice, or any number of other goods (including … Continue reading 40%, As Long As It Isn't a Toy
(Hint: It seems to involve model trains.) How to Become an Inventor offers a series of experiments like “The Magnetic … Continue reading How To Become an Inventor
Time-travelling visitors to Boston or Providence shouldn’t miss the Historical Society’s upcoming booksale on December 3rd and 4th. Here are … Continue reading Guides to the Past on Sale
In June, the new HVAC upgrades at the John Brown House Museum were completed. With the dust settled (and nearly … Continue reading HVAC Work Completed
Here’s the first post highlighting one of the items we’ll have available at the upcoming RIHS booksale: The Instructive Alphabet, … Continue reading Instructive Alphabet
The Rhode Island Historical Society will hold a book sale on Friday, December 3 from 5 pm to 8 pm … Continue reading RIHS Booksale
Two quick notes on recent and upcoming events at the Historical Society: First, space is still available for Saturday’s textile … Continue reading Leather and Textiles
We’re pleased to announce the availability of a new online resource: The Atlas of the Rhode Island Book Trade in … Continue reading New Online Resource
Unfortunately, this post just missed Elephant Appreciation Day, but better late than never. “The Elephant”* is a broadside advertising the … Continue reading The Elephant
As we head in to the autumn months, we’re offering a full schedule of lectures, workshops and other events at … Continue reading Autumn Events at the RIHS
“Spring of ’17“, an online resource created by Micah Salkind, recreates the topography of Providence theaters in the early twentieth … Continue reading Providence Vaudeville
In addition to collections of materials like books, manuscripts and images, the Historical Society has a wide range of ephemeral … Continue reading Bookplates
According to the website for Providence’s WaterFire, the summer event requires “hundreds of volunteers” devoting “thousands of hours”. But for … Continue reading Providence WaterFire, 1784
In case you missed the 19 July edition of History Detectives and didn’t get to hear Jerry Mueller discuss John … Continue reading John Russell Bartlett on History Detectives
The first page of The Newport Tide Almanac for the Year 1864 offers the following: RULES FOR BATHING AT NEWPORT … Continue reading Beach Rules
In his cypher book, Martin Page let his artistic skills shine, but when the time came to put his life … Continue reading The Best Pie They Ever Tasted (Martin Page, part II)
As we begin the season of celebrating Gaspee Days (6 May to 13 June)—complete with children dressed as gravediggers—, here’s … Continue reading Feel the Burn
The visual splendor of James Cameron’s Avatar might seem to occupy the cutting edge of entertainment, but in fact 3D … Continue reading The Third Dimension
This is the start of Preservation Week*, and we wanted to highlight one of our most recent efforts to ensure … Continue reading Celebrating Preservation
It’s that time again, time to celebrate Rhode Island’s declaration of their independence from Great Britain. Last year we posted … Continue reading Independence Day
For even more information about the Historical Society’s collections (the graphics collection in particular), visit the latest RIHS blog, the … Continue reading RIHS Graphics Blog!
With the flooding rains and the record high temperatures this spring, Rhode Island has gone into early bloom. Rhode Island’s … Continue reading Rhode Island's First Flowering
Just a reminder of tonight’s event at the Historical Society Research Library, where Robert Grandchamp will discuss George Lee Gaskell, … Continue reading George Lee Gaskell
Faced with a diary or a memoir or a collection of someone’s correspondence, it’s a natural impulse to try to … Continue reading Grog O' Clock (Martin Page, part I)
The sources of history we’re fortunate enough to have access to today usually owe their survival to dedicated individuals of … Continue reading Elizabeth "Betty" Johnson
According to Florence Simister*, Westminster Street in Providence was named by residents of the street who eventually hoped to set … Continue reading Westminster Stories
Monday marked a milestone in the history of the Rhode Island Historical Society and the John Brown House Museum as … Continue reading Drilling at the John Brown House
Thanks to the generous support from the following organizations: Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the Revolution Rhode Island … Continue reading Talk of the Town, 18th Century-Style
With this post we’re beginning what will hopefully become a regular feature, our collection of the month, and our first … Continue reading Christ Church Records
Our last post described Sanford Ross and some of the details of his daily life that are vividly brought out … Continue reading The King is Dead! (Oh, wait…) Long Live the King! (Sanford Ross, pt. 2)
The previous post offered a note on the Thanksgiving celebrations of 1812 in Rhode Island*. That it turns up in … Continue reading Sanford Ross, pt. 1
The image below is taken from a copy of the 1812 New England Almanack. This almanac and a few others … Continue reading Happy Thanks Givin
346 years ago this November 24th, 1663 George Baxter was called before the General Court of Commissioners and asked to … Continue reading Charter Day
Now that autumn is in full swing, it’s time to do something with all the apples you’ve picked. To aid … Continue reading Autumn
This is a busy time at the Historical Society, and while we have an events calendar as well as a … Continue reading RIHS Events
RIHS Collections Assistant Delia Kovac recently came across an item that has everything a Hollywood movie script could ask for: … Continue reading Dancing with the Caroline Islanders
Despite being repeatedly and prematurely pronounced dead (at the hand of television, the internet, or whatever comes next), radio is … Continue reading Rhode Island Radio Lecture on Thursday
By Karen Eberhart, Special Collections Curator From a hand-drawn map of Block Island created in 1661 to footage of Vincent … Continue reading Rhode Island Historical Society Awarded $99,400 Grant for Graphics Inventory Project
The recent high-profile acts of piracy in Somalia have highlighted the divide between the reality of piracy and our romanticized … Continue reading "This Sanguinary Monster"*: The Pirate Gibbs, pt. 2
This, the second of the summer’s pirate-themed blog posts, centers on the brutal pirate, Charles Gibbs. A Rhode Island native, … Continue reading "400 Human Beings!": The Pirate Gibbs, pt. 1
The Historical Society is pleased to announce that thanks to a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation, we’ll be … Continue reading Diamonds
The item described here answers the age-old question of what to do on a Saturday afternoon. In this case, the … Continue reading Robots in Providence
As promised, here is the first of the summer’s pirate-related blog posts, and we’re starting with a pleasant thought in … Continue reading Pirate Treasure!
Secret societies have an enduring appeal and they’ve prompted speculation about their motivations and influence for a long time. Why … Continue reading Odd Fellows Indeed
*******Updated, 9 October 2009 below****** Check out today’s Providence Journal for Thomas Morgan’s article on the Rhode Island pirate Thomas … Continue reading Thomas Tew
A Fox Point Fourth of July On July 4th, the scheduled 11:00 a.m. walking tour will be a patriotic stroll … Continue reading July 4 Walking Tour of Fox Point
Primary source institutions like libraries, museums, and historical societies are often filled with repurposed objects, items originally intended to fulfill … Continue reading Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Cultural critics have gone back and forth about the effect that technologies like text messaging or Twitter are having on … Continue reading Nineteenth-Century Twitter
By Jim DaMico, Graphics Project Archivist On January 16, 2007, the RIHS Library embarked on a systematic survey of the … Continue reading Uncovering Hidden Collections: a Look at the RIHS Graphics Collection Survey Project
Nathaniel Bowditch’s American Practical Navigator is the classic manual for sailors, offering practical (not surprisingly) advice for all manner of … Continue reading The Land of Generica
(Visit our online calendar to keep up with events and closings.) Join us this Thursday evening at the Historical Society … Continue reading Megan Kate Nelson Lecture
Yes, it’s true that July 4th is the traditional day of celebrating the 13 American Colonies’ independence from Great Britain. … Continue reading Happy Independence Day
As a follow-up to this weekend’s excellent session with Barbara Carroll on Rhode Island Italian Genealogy, here’s a list of … Continue reading Rhode Island Italian Genealogy Bibliography
In a recent New Yorker article on the history of debtor imprisonment*, Jill Lepore briefly mentions a 1754 Rhode Island … Continue reading An Impartial Hand
Don’t miss the chance to learn more about conducting genealogical research on your Italian ancestors. This Saturday from 10:00-12:30 professional … Continue reading Rhode Island Italian
In celebration of the beginning of Passover, here’s an important item of Rhode Island Judaica: A Lunar Calendar, of the … Continue reading A Lunar Calendar
War brings a new perspective to most things, including maps. The surveying for this map of the Narragansett Bay was … Continue reading Here be Cannons, or, Where the Horses are "Boney and Strong"
Picking up on the discussion of broadsides in a previous post, today we’ll highlight another broadside from the collection: The … Continue reading The Ardent Desire
A fascinating collection of student-produced historical narratives (a number of them using materials from the Rhode Island Historical Society’s collections) … Continue reading Chronicles of Brunonia
On this, the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth (and Charles Darwin’s), we’ll take a moment to look back at the … Continue reading A Day of Humiliation and Mourning
In the spirit of the widespread celebrations of Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday, we’ll be highlighting a few of the Lincoln-related … Continue reading Lincoln and Rhode Island
Saturday August 23, 11:00 a.m. Celebrating H. P. Lovecraft: A Literary Walk This walking tour celebrates the life and work … Continue reading Events this Weekend
Former long-time RIHS staff member Roland Campbell passed away on the evening of August 13 at the age of 88. … Continue reading Roland O. Campbell, 1920-2008
The Rhode Island Historical Society is a privately endowed membership organization, founded in 1822, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing … Continue reading Welcome to the RIHS
The RHODI directory went live in October 2013. We spent the last months of the year finalizing the RHODI white … Continue reading Project Updates & Next Steps
We are pleased to announce that the RHODI White Paper is now available. “
The Rhode Island Historical Society’s Commitment to Our Donors
We will not sell, share, or trade our donors’ names or personal information with any other entity. We will not send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations. This policy applies to all information received by RIHS on any platform by any means, both online and offline, as well as any electronic, written, or oral communications. To the extent any donations may be processed through a third-party service provider, our donors’ information will only be used for purposes necessary to process the donation.
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