The Preservation Society of Newport County announced today (May 21) that restoration work on The Breakers’ massive main gates has been completed.Weighing 5,600 pounds each, the main gates were put back into place by crane on Wednesday (May 21). Two large wrought-iron crown pieces were reinstalled on Tuesday (May 20).The two main gates, two side […]
History
Posted inHistory
This Day in RI History: May 18, 1652 – Rhode Island becomes the first colony to pass an anti-slavery law
On May 18th, 1652, Rhode Island became the first of the thirteen colonies to ban slavery. The good intentions of those who wrote the law, however, went unheeded – the statute was largely ignored for over a century, as many merchants in the state became leading slave traders in colonial America. The act read, “Whereas, […]
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This Day in RI History: May 9, 1861 -U.S. Naval Academy moved to Newport
The U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland on October 10, 1845 with Commander Franklin Buchanan its first superintendent. The first class was comprised of 50 students and 7 professors. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, then superintendent Captain George S. Blake made the decision to move the Academy to Newport. Although […]
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This Day in RI History: May 4, 1776 – Rhode Island declares independence from Great Britain
On May 4th, 1776, a full two months before the rest of the new nation, the Rhode Island General Assembly formally declared independence from Great Britain. Of course, Rhode Island was already in a state of rebellion by that point, as the declaration came four years after the Gaspee affair, and a year after the […]
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This Day in RI History: April 26, 1718, Esek Hopkins is born in Scituate
Esek Hopkins was born on April 26, 1718 in Scituate to a prominent Rhode Island family. Hopkins became a merchant and sea captain and in 1764, was in command of the slave ship Sally, known for a disastrous 15-month voyage that resulted in the death of 109 out of 196 slaves on board. The tragedy […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Just My Opinion: Rhode Island’s Nathaniel Greene among those buried in Savannah’s historic cemeteries
While planning a trip to Savannah, Georgia to visit my daughter, Ryan Belmore, WUN publisher, and I mused about possible Rhode Island/Savannah connections. None readily came to mind. But they are there. In the historic cemeteries. artists and soldiers, young children and others buried and remembered. Their stories are told on markers near burial vaults, […]
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Newport Artillery Company celebrates 284 years of service
The Artillery Company of Newport marked its 284th birthday with a celebratory dinner at its Clarke Street armory in Newport on March 29, 2025. Congressman Gabe Amo addresses the gathering as the guest speaker, with over 44 Artillery Company members, their families, and guests in attendance. During his speech, Amo highlights the unique historical significance […]
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Charles L. Roberts: Black women continue to make history in Rhode Island
Rhode Island Slave History Medallions (RISHM) continues its mission of marking the landscape by telling the untold stories of real-life Africans, African Americans and Indigenous people who walked our streets, honed their skills and crafts, raised their families, and tilled our verdant land during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, right here in Rhode Island. […]
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What’s Up Newp celebrates Women’s History Month: Meet golfer Glenna Collett-Vare
We’re celebrating some extraordinary women during March, National Women’s History Month, individuals who have made their mark from the sports field to politics and government, from the courtroom to the board room. We’ll be introducing our readers to some individuals they may not know, and others they do. What they all have in common is […]
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Charles L. Roberts: Let me introduce you to a few Black women trailblazers who helped shape the future of Rhode Island
The legacies of the Black men and women who shaped our nation, as well as our own cities and towns, should always be celebrated, and never forgotten. This is why I am thrilled to share the voices and legacies of these exceptional Rhode Island women this month. “The Hair Doctress” Christiana Carteaux Bannister, or Madame […]
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Women’s History Month: Meet Miss Johnson and Miss Wales
Many women have played prominent roles in Rhode Island education, from teaching to founding what has now become a prominent university with campuses in Providence and North Carolina. As WUN celebrates National Women’s History Month, we’ll introduce several women who have played significant roles in our area, from the sports field to politics and government, […]
Posted inCity & Government
Rhode Island officials commemorate the First Rhode Island Regiment
Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, Chair of the RI250 Commission, was joined by Governor Dan McKee, Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi, Senator Walter S. Felag, Jr., Executive Director of the Tomaquag Museum Lorén Spears, historian and author of From Slaves to Soldiers Bob Geake, Founder and Executive Director of Rhode Island Slave History Medallions […]
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Charles L. Roberts: In 1769, Newport was the rum capital of the world and the epicenter of the Triangle Trade
Most students of Black History are familiar with the “Triangle Trade.” This term refers to the 17th and 18th century transatlantic trading route, involving Africa, the Caribbean, and British North America. Sugar cane was grown and processed in the Caribbean islands. The molasses from this processing was then shipped to Rhode Island and was the […]
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Today In Newport History (Feb. 22, 1994): ‘True Lies’ Filmed in Newport
True Lies, the 1994 American action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Bill Paxton, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov and Charlton Heston, was in the midst of filming in Newport, RI in February of 1994. Of the many locations that were used […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Black History Month Newport: Places of Worship
Special to What’s Up Newp | The following was written by Keith Stokes. This story was originally published on Feb. 9, 2020. Persons of African heritage have lived, worked and worshiped in Newport since the mid-17th Century. Established as a major slave port, Newport would have one of the largest populations of enslaved and free […]
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Black History Month: The origins of Newport’s African Heritage Tennis Club
By Keith Stokes, special to What’s Up Newp. Originally published on Feb. 18, 2021 “If there was a watering-place in America where respectable, refined, and well-bearing-colored ladies and gentlemen have as little reason to feel their color as in Newport.” – Colored American Newspaper, 1886 Newport is internationally recognized for its Colonial Era structures, Gilded […]
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Black History Month: African Heritage Entrepreneurs in Gilded Age Newport – Andrew J. Tabb
Special to What’s Up Newp | The following was written by Keith Stokes, Vice President of the 1696 Heritage Group. This story was originally published on Feb. 1, 2021. While Newport is internationally recognized for its Colonial Era buildings, Gilded Age mansions, historic landscapes, and rich maritime history, few would know that Newport through the centuries […]
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Black History Month – Dr. Harriet Alleyne Rice: A native Newport Black History heroine that is largely unknown in the city of her birth
The following was written for What’s Up Newp by Keith Stokes, Vice President of the 1696 Heritage Group. This story was originally published on Feb. 11 ,2021. A native Newport Black History heroine that is largely unknown in the city of her birth. Harriet Alleyne Rice was born to George and Lucinda Rice in 1866 in […]
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Legislators honor Black Revolutionary War soldiers of the 1st R.I. Regiment
In honor of Black History Month, Rhode Island Senate and House of Representatives this week recognized the contribution of the Black soldiers of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment who helped the nation win the Revolutionary War. The Senate and House on Tuesday passed resolutions (2025-S 0224, 2025-H 5411) introduced by Sen. Linda Ujifusa and Rep. Jennifer A. […]
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Black History Month Newport: A look at 19th century black-owned businesses, business owners
February is Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, an annual time to celebrate the achievements, and a time for recognizing the central role, of African Americans in U.S. history. During the month of February, What’s Up Newp is using our platform to highlight and recognize the achievements by local African Americans. Keith […]
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Black History Month – People, Places & Events: Remembering a group of 19th and 20th Century African Heritage Leaders in Newport
February is Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, an annual time to celebrate the achievements, and a time for recognizing the central role, of African Americans in U.S. history. During the month of February, What’s Up Newp plans to use our platform to highlight and recognize the achievements by local African Americans. […]
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Bob Cembrola: Matthew Calbraith Perry’s legacy extends far beyond Naval innovation
If the Perrys of Newport had been professional wrestlers, they would have been the tag team champs of the 19th century. It is difficult to imagine a more impactful brother act than Oliver Hazard and his younger brother Matthew Calbraith. Both achieved great fame in their lifetimes, but Mathew got to enjoy quite a bit […]
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Bob Cembrola: Portsmouth’s Lovell General Hospital played a large role in the Civil War
Although no Civil War battles took place in Rhode Island, a hospital in Portsmouth, Rhode Island played a large role in caring for wounded on both sides of the conflict. In an area now known as the Melville Marina District, this hospital sat on ground that has seen numerous significant events in the last three […]
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On a quest to revive Parkgate
The Parkgate Restoration Association (PRA) is asking for the community’s help. The nonprofit, established in 2022, is working to restore the Parkgate Estate, perhaps more commonly known as the Newport Elks Lodge, “to its former Gilded Age Glory,” Caroline Caswell says, treasurer of the association. Since its establishment, the organization has raised over $100,000 and […]
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Charles L. Roberts: Marking the landscape is key to understanding our collective history
When we talk about marking the landscape as an act of remembrance, we are referring to walking in the footsteps of the people and events that happened in that specific location decades, centuries, and in some cases, millennials, before us; exactly in the places our ancestors once stood, fought, and often died for our right […]