Call for Submissions: “The Bridge: The Gaspee Affair in Context”
The Rhode Island Historical Society and the Newport Historical Society will publish the second themed “combined issue” of their respective … Continue reading Call for Submissions: “The Bridge: The Gaspee Affair in Context”
Slate Rock, The Landing Place of Roger Williams
Although it is now largely forgotten, Rhode Islanders of the nineteenth century considered Slate Rock to be one of … Continue reading Slate Rock, The Landing Place of Roger Williams
Rogue Island
Smuggling in Colonial Rhode Island and the Gaspee Affair On June 9, 1772 the British customs schooner Gaspee ran aground … Continue reading Rogue Island
Lola's Ball Gown
Lola Elda Del Sesto (Farrone) was born on November 01, 1909, she was the wife of Rhode Island governor Christopher … Continue reading Lola's Ball Gown
Valley Talks Continue With RIHS Executive Director on Triple-Deckers
The Museum of Work & Culture will offer the second installment of its free Valley Talks lecture series on Sunday, January 28, at 1:30pm, when Rhode Island Historical Society Executive Director Dr. C. Morgan Grefe will present “The Triple-Decker Menace,” exploring the history of the the three-story housing so distinct to New England.
You are HERE: Maps at the RIHS
This blog is in honor of our (and very first successful) Netop Night at the Robinson Research Center! We hold … Continue reading You are HERE: Maps at the RIHS
High Summer Harvest
Photographs by Ernest K. Thomas One of our recent projects was the inventorying of the collection of a prolific but … Continue reading High Summer Harvest
Destruction of History/History of Destruction II
The architectural history of Rhode Island is a fascinating and frequently researched topic in the R.I.H.S. Collections. Buildings that housed or … Continue reading Destruction of History/History of Destruction II
Cooking (from) the Books
The Rhode Island Historical Society’s theme for 2017 is Relishing Rhode Island. To celebrate this, our staff will be cooking … Continue reading Cooking (from) the Books
A Morning of Family Fun at the John Brown House Museum!
What: Learning Quill and Ink Writing at the John Brown House Museum! When: Saturday, July 8th, 9:00-10:00am Mornings at the Museum will be … Continue reading A Morning of Family Fun at the John Brown House Museum!
Rhode Island Women in Action: A Force for Local Food
The Providence Housewives League The Providence Housewives League held their first meeting on September 27, 1912, with an aim to … Continue reading Rhode Island Women in Action: A Force for Local Food
Make Your Holidays Historic With the RIHS & MoWC
Our upcoming open houses, walks, and more will have you feeling as festive as ever this season!
Have Mercy…
Immortalized in H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Shunned House”, rumored to be the inspiration for Lucy Westerna in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, destination … Continue reading Have Mercy…
Fun in the Sun!
Every year people flock to the beaches of Rhode Island for some fun in the sun.Beach front entertainment took on … Continue reading Fun in the Sun!
Paul Muller-Reed of New England Book Auction
Wednesday, June 1, 6-8 pm Aldrich House (110 Benevolent St., Providence) Attendees may bring 1-2 books to be appraised by … Continue reading Paul Muller-Reed of New England Book Auction
Spring Forward 2016: Facets of the Past
On Saturday, May 14, at the Aldrich House, join us for our annual Spring Forward, Think Back gala – the 2016 edition will celebrate the brilliant past of Rhode Island jewelry-making.
Object Thursday: Sledding in Saylesville
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
Object Thursday: A Band Box for Boxing Day
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
"to render Sincere THANKS"
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"
Object Thursday: Accounting for Overhalls
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
Object Thursday: Rhode Island Literary Repository
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
Object Thursday: A Stitch in Time
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
Faith & Freedom Friday: The Reverend and the Governor
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
Object Thursday: D-Day Diary
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
Faith & Freedom Friday: At the State House
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
Faith & Freedom Friday: Sweet Sampler
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
Object Thursday: Not at Bunker Hill– A British Officer’s Cap
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
Faith & Freedom Friday:A Petticoated Dorrite
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
Faith & Freedom Friday: Thomas Howland
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
Object Thursday: The Blizzard Shirt
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
Object Thursdays: Eleanor Cozzens Feke
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
What Cheer! Day Preparation Underway
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
Smelling Providence
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
Happy Rhody Independence Day!
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!
Register and Read
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
Soldiers’ Winter
Sometimes you find the best things in a random way: thanks to an emailed reference question, I discovered the diary … Continue reading Soldiers’ Winter
One for the Little Boy
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
New Policy! Cameras allowed starting July 1 at 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!
The Third Dimension
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
Westminster Stories
According to Florence Simister*, Westminster Street in Providence was named by residents of the street who eventually hoped to set … Continue reading Westminster Stories
Sanford Ross, pt. 1
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
Happy Independence Day
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