The Newport Historical Society was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport's history. The Society's collections originated thirty years earlier as the "Southern Cabinet" of the Rhode Island Historical Society. By 1853, several prominent Newporters recognized the need for a separate organization specifically devoted to preserving the history of Newport County, and the collections of the Southern Cabinet were reorganized under the auspices of the Newport Historical Society.

The first quarters of the Newport Historical Society were temporary. Meetings moved from member's home to member's home, and lectures were held in rented halls. By 1884, however, the Society was suffering from growing pains. It needed a permanent space to house its collections. After some deliberation, the Society purchased the old Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House (1730). This was arguably their first real artifact, and certainly one of the first examples of adaptive reuse of an historic structure with deliberate homage to the structure's own integrity. It is a responsibility the Newport Historical Society has taken seriously and managed well since 1884.

The collections of the Newport Historical Society have continued to grow, and have, in fact, outgrown every structure provided for them within a decade or less of the ground-breaking. The result is one of the finest local historical society collections in New England. Its manuscripts, portraits, silver, furniture, decorative arts, and genealogical collection are nationally recognized.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:30-4:30; Saturdays, 9:30-noon
*For research, appointments are strongly recommended
2 Touro St., Newport, RI 02840
(401)846-0813, fax (401) 846-1853
www.newporthistorical.org

Museum of Newport History