The Rhode Island Historical Society is a privately endowed membership organization, founded in 1822, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the

history of Rhode Island The history of Rhode Island is an overview of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the state of Rhode Island from pre-colonial times to the present. Pre-colonization Native Americans occupied most of the area comprising Rh ...

. Its offices are located in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

History

Founded in 1822, the Society is the fourth oldest state historical society in the United States (after the

Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bosto ...

New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum ...

, and

Maine Historical Society The Maine Historical Society is the official state historical society of Maine. It is located at 489 Congress Street in downtown Portland. The Society currently operates the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, a National Historic Landmark, Longfellow ...

). The Rhode Island Historical Society was founded and funded by many of Providence's early

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United S ...

philanthropists, including Moses Brown and Henry J. Steere. In 1854 the "Southern Cabinet" of the Rhode Island Historical Society became reorganized as the

Newport Historical Society The Newport Historical Society is a historical society in Newport, Rhode Island that was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport's history. History of the society Although the society ...

. As of October 2022, the organization’s executive director is C. Morgan Grefe, Ph.D., and the board chair is Robert H. Sloan, Jr.

Description

The Society has the largest and most important historical Rhode Island collection within its main library and two museums. The Society's collections include some 25,000 objects, 5,000 manuscripts, 100,000 books and printed items, 400,000 photographs and maps, and 9 million feet of motion-picture film. Through the Newell D. Goff Center for Education and Public Programs, the Society offers a variety of educational programs including workshops, lectures, films, and walking tours of Providence. In recent years the Society has been very active in teacher-training programs seeking to improve the quality of history teaching in Rhode Island. The Society also presents exhibits, films, concerts, and many other community activities and programs. The Society publishes its journal ''Rhode Island History'' in either two or three issues annually covering various aspects of Rhode Island history from pre-colonial to recent. The Society’s most noteworthy recent advances include its first on-line collection access catalog and the first major restoration of the historic John Brown House, a $2.5 million project that should be complete in 2010.

Properties

The Society owns and operates the following notable museums and properties: *The Robinson Research Center (library) (121 Hope Street, Providence) *

John Brown House Museum The John Brown House is the first mansion built in Providence, Rhode Island, located at 52 Power Street on College Hill where it borders the campus of Brown University. The house is named after the original owner, one of the early benefactors ...

, (52 Power Street, Providence) (a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

) built in 1786; * Nelson W. Aldrich House (Society Headquarters/Goff Center) (110 Benevolent Street, Providence), also a National Historic Landmark, built in 1822; *

Museum of Work and Culture The Museum of Work and Culture is a museum in Woonsocket, Rhode Island Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. B ...

(42 South Main Street,

Woonsocket Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsocket lies directly south of ...

), a regional history museum devoted to the ethnic history of northern Rhode Island.

References

External links

* {{authority control State historical societies of the United States Organizations based in Providence, Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island Education in Providence County, Rhode Island Libraries in Rhode Island Rhode Island culture History of Rhode Island Historical societies in Rhode Island 1822 establishments in Rhode Island Historic preservation organizations in the United States Historical society museums in Rhode Island

History

Description

Properties

See also

References

External links