The Rhode Island State House will open its doors to the public on Saturday, May 4 to recognize Rhode Island Independence Day. The opening of the State House is being supported by the State House Restoration Committee.
The Rhode Island State House will be open to the public on Saturday, May 4, from 9:30 am to 2 pm. Guided tours will be available at 10 am, 10:30 am, 11 am, and 11:30 am. Self-guided tour materials will be available starting at noon. A pop-up exhibit titled Rhode Island’s Revolutionary Communities will also be on display on the second floor of the State House.
The Rhode Island State House is home to the Rhode Island Independent Man, a 10-foot-tall statue that stands as one of the most iconic figures in Rhode Island history. A brief presentation by Mark Rabinowitz, the conservator responsible for the statue’s restoration, will be given at 10:30 am, 11:30 am, and 12:30 pm.
Governor McKee stated, “I can’t think of a better homecoming than returning the Independent Man to the State House on Rhode Island’s Independence Day.” He also thanked the Secretary of State and the State House Restoration Committee for making the building open for visitors on this special day.
The State House Restoration Committee was founded to restore, preserve, and better the Rhode Island State House. The committee is made up of volunteers, conservators, and historians dedicated to preserving the history of the State House.
On May 4, 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to Great Britain’s King George III and declare independence by official legislative act. The passage of the Act of Renunciation by the Rhode Island General Assembly took place at the Old State House on Benefit Street in Providence, Rhode Island. This Act officially ended the colony’s allegiance to Great Britain. The original Act is in the keeping of the State Archives.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.