The Portsmouth Historical Society is pleased to announce the award of a $50,000 grant from the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust for the installation of an ADA-compliant vertical lift, which will allow visitors access to the second floor of the museum at 870 East Main Road. The project will include a weather-tight enclosure that will match the existing 1865 clapboard structure.
Established in 1986, the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust has been instrumental in the preservation of many historically significant buildings in Newport and conservation of open space on Aquidneck Island.
Mrs. Alletta Morris McBean was a descendent of one of America’s founding families. She was one of the original forces in the creation of the Preservation Society of Newport County. She bequeathed Chepstow, her family’s Newport home, to the Preservation Society in 1986.