For over 100 years The Rhode Island Society Sons of The Revolution has hosted Newport’s Independence Day Celebration, and there is not a more patriotic place to celebrate America’s birthday than in Newport’s Historic District. The Declaration of Independence was first read to the citizens of Rhode Island from the steps of the Colony House in Newport. Each 4th of July the event is recreated in celebration with music and cannons. Join us for this celebration of the 4th of July.
Events are free and include:
· 9:00 am – Daughters of the American Revolution hosting wreath laying at grave of William Ellery, signer of the Declaration, in Island Park Cemetery.
· 10:00 am-11:00 am, the Newport Historical Society will open the Old Colony House for visitors, the fourth oldest State House in America.
· 10:00 am-11:00 am – Newport Community Orchestra plays at Washington Square.
· 11:00 am: The reading of the Declaration of Independence byColonel Roy Lauth of the Rhode Island Society Sons of the Revolution. He will readfrom the steps of the Colony House, where a 19-year-old Newport native, John Handy, first read the Declaration to the Colony on July 22, 1776.
· Immediately following the reading, the Artillery Company of Newport will fire a 21 Gun Salute to the Nation, using the four cannons purchased from Paul Revere in 1798 by the new state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
The Colony House was the seat of the colonial government in Rhode Island. Here on May 6, 1776, Rhode Island declared it no longer owed allegiance to the British crown. The Continental Congress’s Declaration of Independence was first read from the front steps of on July 22, 1776.
Washington Square, called “The Parade” in colonial times, will be the site of the 21-gun Salute to the Nation by the Newport Artillery Company, the country’s oldest military organization, chartered in 1741.
Join us for a memorable celebration of the 4th of July.
Editor’s Note – The City of Newport will host its annual Fireworks Display at 9:15 pm on Monday, July 4.