Lecture by Christian McBurney June 17, 2021 Rhode Island’s contribution to World War II vastly exceeded its small size. Narragansett Bay was dotted by some of the country’s most important army forts and navy facilities. Attendees learned fascinating details about Aquidneck Island’s wartime role, shared by Christian McBurney, a popular historian, speaker, and co-author of […]
Book Club “Rhode Island’s Civil War Hospital, Life and Death a Portsmouth Grove, 1862-1865” by Frank L. Grzyb The book club reconvened with a discussion hosted by Portsmouth Historical Society corporate sponsor, Gulf Stream Bar & Grille, in the Melville Marina, where the Portsmouth Civil War hospital complex was located. Maps and artifacts from the
In the spring of 1842 RI had 2 governors. Thomas Wilson Dorr, the “People’s Governor”, forcibly tried to implement the People’s Constitution, which he believed had replaced the antiquated colonial Charter. The Dorr Rebellion raised profound questions of citizenship. Russ DeSimone, an accomplished author and historian, is a leading authority on this fascinating piece of
Lecture: The Dorr Rebellion By Russell DeSimone Wed May 19th Read More »
The Town of Portsmouth, in cooperation with the Portsmouth Tree Commission and the Portsmouth Historical Society and with the generous support of National Grid, honored Herbert Hall, long-time Portsmouth resident and Past President of the Historical Society. On April 24, 2021, a beautiful spring day, concurrent with Arbor Day, over 50 people gathered at the
TOWN HONORS HERB HALL WITH MEMORIAL TREE PLANTING Read More »
On October 23, 2020, the Portsmouth Historical Society hosted the 37th annual ceremony honoring the Marines that lost their lives during the 1983 terrorist bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut Lebanon.
Presentation set for October 14, 2020 at 6:30 PM at the Museum As the country celebrates the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and as we near election time, guest joined the Portsmouth Historical Society to hear how Portsmouth women fought for the vote, and the process
On Sept 24, 2020, the Portsmouth Historical Society is hosted a brand-new lecture, “Portsmouth in 1920: An Illustrated Look Back” by Town Historian Jim Garman replete with images depicting the town one hundred years ago. The photographs will enable us to look back at our town to a time when the population was 2,590 and
During this 400th anniversary year of the arrival of the Mayflower in Plymouth harbor, the Portsmouth Historical Society Book Club, on Oct 5, 2020, discussed “Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War” by Nathaniel Philbrick, a fascinating and insightful book that chronicles the people, politics and religion from the establishment of Plymouth Colony through King Philip’s
The Portsmouth Historical Society held its Annual Meeting on Monday September 14, 2020 at the museum building Anne Northup Burns, President, presented the Society’s Annual Report, highlights of the recently-adopted 5 Year Strategic Plan, and share the many initiatives the Society has recently undertaken. Nathan Minese unveiled four Town of Portsmouth historical signs created as
In August 1778, the Revolutionary War Battle of Rhode Island was fought at Butts Hill Fort. Butts Hill Fort is the largest remaining Revolutionary War fortification in southeastern New England. After the Revolutionary War, most earthen forts were destroyed by farming, but the Fort Butts area was much too rocky to be farmed. By 1934,
