Random Stories
The Ocean House Hotel
In his memoir, the Germania Musical Society's Henry Albrecht painted an interesting picture of the ensemble's relationship to Newport during the "hotel period," stating: "the magical effect of the sounds of the orchestra aroused not very solemn…
International Institute of Rhode Island
Since 1922, the International Institute of Rhode Island has helped immigrants coming to Rhode Island. Equally important, the Institute helped them find ways to preserve their culture while adapting to American life. Recently merged with Dorcas Place,…
Frances E. Henley and Providence Plantations Club
How to become respected and how to keep your femininity when doing a male's job? This was quite a burden for Rhode Island's first female architect, starting 1897 when she graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. Henley was probably one of…
Wheeler Field: A Gift to the Children of Adamsville
Deborah Manchester gave Wheeler Ball Field to the town for “the children of Adamsville” in honor of her nephew, Philip Manchester Wheeler, and great-nephew, Stafford Manchester Wheeler who was killed in World War II. Miss Debbie worked for many…
The Steel Yard (PS&I)
Founded in 2002 on the former site of Providence Steel and Iron Company (PS&I), the Steel Yard’s 3.5-acre site has become a community gathering space for people interested in creative, industrial arts. The design of this former brownfield site…
From Silver Spoons to Shell Casings
In 1873, an economic depression gripped the country and threatened the future of the Gorham Manufacturing Company. The company’s skilled metalworkers and innovative designers had a reputation for creating quality goods, but none of these things…
Take a Tour
Tiverton: Almost Forgotten
12 Locations ~ Curated by The Little Compton Historical Society, the Tiverton Public Library, and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, Brown University.Guía de RI: Latinos en Rhode Island
5 Locations ~ Curated by Esta Gúia está basado en la Historia Latina de Rhode Island: Nuestras Raíces (History Press, 2014) escrito por Marta V. Martínez, así como las historias orales y visuales en www.nuestrasraicesri.org. Molly Kerker y Jane Lancaster contribuyeron a la investigación, el desarrollo de contenidos, y la edición. La traducción se realizó por Roxana Mercado.Mashapaug Pond
15 Locations ~ Curated by Brown University students in "Oral History and Community Memory," Spring 2014Revolutionary War Fortifications of Rhode Island
6 Locations ~ Curated by Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project, D. K. Abbass, Ph.DSmith Hill Neighborhood
10 Locations ~ Curated by Jennifer Wilson, Assistant Director of the Goff Center of Education at the Rhode Island Historical SocietyFeatured Stories
West Broadway Neighborhood Association
Repurposing older structures is a tenet of historic preservation. Here the West Broadway Neighborhood Association practices what it preaches. Since 1983, the WBNA has been one of the strongest and…
Alexander Crummell
“We claim . . . that to deprive the colored people of this State of the immunities of citizenship, on account of the color of the skin, (a matter over which they have no control), is…
The Celebrity Club: Best Jazz in Providence
On November 18, 1949, at 56 Randall Street, in the mostly poor, mostly black, Randall Square neighborhood, local African Americans crowded into the new Celebrity Club bar. It wasn’t quite finished,…
Rhode Tour
A project by the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, the Rhode Island Historical Society and the Rhode Island Council for the HumanitiesRhode Tour is a statewide mobile historical smartphone application. Captivating places, intriguing people, and exciting events fill Rhode Island's history. Rhode Tour offers a new way to interact with these untold tales of the state's past. Using stories, sounds, and images, history comes alive on Rhode Tour. Read more About Us