The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private,

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

based in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. It is Rhode Island's largest and most-visited cultural organization. The organization protects the architectural heritage of Newport County, especially the

Bellevue Avenue Historic District The Bellevue Avenue Historic District is located along and around Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. Its property is almost exclusively residential, including many of the Gilded Age mansions built as summer retreats aroun ...

. Seven of its 14 historic properties and landscapes are

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

s, and most are open to the public. The organization has filed lawsuits to block

offshore wind farms Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through wind farms in bodies of water, usually at sea. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore farms generate more electricity per amount of ca ...

in Rhode Island, arguing that wind farms harm scenic views and threaten "historic resources".

History

The Preservation Society of Newport County was founded in 1945 by a group of Newport residents led by

Katherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

and George Warren to save Hunter House from demolition. They were known as the Georgian Society until they changed their name to the Preservation Society of Newport County.

Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt (1901 – August 6, 1978) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was one of the first women to compete in the America's Cup, alongside her husband, Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, in 1934 and 1937. Early life G ...

Harold Stirling Vanderbilt Harold Stirling Vanderbilt CBE (July 6, 1884 – July 4, 1970) was an American railroad executive, a champion yachtsman, an innovator and champion player of contract bridge, and a member of the Vanderbilt family. Early life He was born in Oakd ...

's widow, bequeathed $1.25 million to the society upon her death in 1978.

Properties open to the public

Former properties

, , Bequeathed to the PSNC in 1978, later sold as a private residence; not open to the public , - , The White Horse Tavern Newport Rhode Island est

, , White Horse Tavern , , 1652–1673 , , , , Francis Brinley, William Mayes , , Restored by the PSNC in 1952, but now privately owned and operated as a working tavern

References

External links

The Preservation Society of Newport County
Official Web Site.
The Preservation Society of Newport County: an introduction
from Magazine Antiques, April 1995. {{Authority control Historical societies in Rhode Island Landmarks in Rhode Island Newport County, Rhode Island Non-profit organizations based in Rhode Island Organizations established in 1945 Preservation (library and archival science) Historic preservation organizations in the United States

History

Properties open to the public

Former properties

See also

References

External links