The Newport Historical Society will open a new exhibition next week exploring the three military occupations of Newport during the Revolutionary War.
“Occupied! Newport and the Fight for Independence” debuts Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Richard I. Burnham Resource Center. The exhibition, which is part of the society’s ongoing programming to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, will be on display through the end of 2026.
During the Revolutionary War, Newport changed hands more than any other major seaport in North America. Valued for its deep-water harbor and strategic location, successive Continental, British and French forces occupied the town during the conflict.
“Inside a square mile, Newport holds untold treasures, including some of the nation’s most consequential colonial landmarks,” Executive Director Rebecca Bertrand said. “In this new exhibition, we uncover those stories and help visitors experience how the early days of our nation transformed our city — and the lasting consequences we continue to feel today.”
The exhibition, which was recently featured in the New York Times, includes interactive maps and touch screen storytelling. It was designed by H2 Design Studio and curated by historian Donald Johnson, an associate professor of history at North Dakota State University and author of “Occupied America: British Military Rule and the Experience of Revolution.”
“Occupied!” builds on last year’s award-winning exhibition, “Newport 1775: Whose Side Are You On?”
Johnson said the exhibition draws on cutting-edge historical research and the society’s extensive artifact and manuscript collections to tell the story of a colonial city caught up in a conflict with both civil and global dimensions.
“Highlighting the experiences of both Newporters and the Continental, British, and French soldiers stationed on Aquidneck Island during the Revolutionary War, the exhibit stresses not just the abuses and privations of military rule but also delves into the friendships, business partnerships, and even romances that flourished between city residents and foreign occupiers,” Johnson said.
“Occupied!” opens with a reception on Thursday, Feb. 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for non-members, $5 for Newport Winter Fest bracelet holders and free for NHS members.
The exhibition is supported by the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, National Endowment for the Humanities, Rhode Island Society Sons of the Revolution, Rhode Island Semiquincentennial Commission, the Society of the Cincinnati and Rhode Island Society of the Founders and Patriots of America.
For more information, visit newporthistory.org/250th-anniversary/.