Newport Historical Society Celebrates Nation’s 250th with Two Years of Expanded Programming

As the Revolutionary War began, Newport was one of the busiest harbors in the American colonies. Nearly immediately, British forces seized the harbor town, recognizing its commercial value and military importance. But just two years later, those forces quietly left to prepare for bigger fights, and in the summer of 1780, nearly 6,000 French troops, led by army officer Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, AKA General Rochambeau, sailed in as the colony’s newest allies. Nearly overnight, Newport transformed from an enemy-occupied territory to a friendly host to the allies who would help end the war. In 1781, after spending a year in Newport, Rochambeau led his troops south to meet General Washington on the road to Yorktown, the site of the siege that brought the conflict to a close.

“Newport played a big role in the founding of America,” says Becca Bertrand, executive director of the Newport Historical Society. “We like to say the march to Yorktown started in Newport, and we want visitors to understand how important this town was to the war’s outcome.”

Today, the organization charged with telling that story is the Newport Historical Society, founded in 1854 as the southern seat of the Rhode Island Historical Society. Among its extensive collections are six historical properties, a research library, 500,000 photographs, and 1,500 linear feet of manuscripts. The organization’s mission is to preserve and interpret historical information from Newport County and educate people on how it fits into American history. And for the country’s 250th anniversary, it’s going all out.

A central piece of its programming is a museum exhibition called “Occupied,” which explores the years immediately after the war began. “The occupation by the British was dramatic for Newport,” Bertrand says. “Then the colonists had to deal with the French occupation. They were allies, but cultural and religious differences, as well as language barriers, made cooperation complicated. The exhibition explores how they learned to work together as they moved toward the march to Yorktown.”

In addition to the exhibition, the organization added a focus on the Revolutionary War to its regular Tavern Talks, lectures by local historians preceded by cocktails and a special viewing of the museum exhibition. The organization also added to its walking tours. “We’ve developed a tour based on ‘Occupied’ that has two guides – one who plays a loyalist and one who plays a patriot,” Bertrand says. “You can learn about colonial history anywhere, but what’s unique about Newport is that you can walk the same streets and see the same buildings. History feels close here.”

But there’s more to Newport’s history than the Revolutionary War, and Bertrand and her staff are particularly excited about their upcoming Juneteenth Celebration. The occasion will be marked with the opening of a new center for Black history, housed in the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, one of the oldest surviving homes in Newport. “The center will have exhibitions, a sculpture garden, and space for reflection,” Bertrand says. “It will talk not just about Black Newporters from the 17th and 18th centuries, but also about the contemporary Black experience.”

Drawing a line from the past to the present is vitally important to the organization. As an example, Bertrand points to its approach to the press. “Even in the 18th century, there were influencers,” she says. “You might be hearing the news through word of mouth, and that’s no different than saying, ‘I heard a TikTok about this.’ Facts are open to interpretation and manipulation.” Ultimately, the goal is to help people learn from the past. “We want to make the past approachable and accessible,” Bertrand says. “History shouldn’t be stuffed in an attic.” Learn more at NewportHistory.org.