PHS will be out on the road,visiting places of historic significance around town.  Tune to “PHS On-the-Road” at our Web Video Theater.

June 9, 1772 colonist in Rhode Island burn revenue cutter HMS Gaspee in Narragansett Bay. This would be one of the first acts of open defiance leading up to the American Revolution. In 1764 Rhode Island’s Newport Artillery Company opened fire with their cannon on HMS St. John and four years later Rhode Island colonist burned

Born on this date in 1819, Julia Ward Howe is best known today for writing the words of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord …”), but in her day she was a prominent opponent of slavery and an activist for women’s right to

The Society coordinated an Open House with Kirby Realtors on Saturday March 7th. The Open House showcased the Church and facilities to the community. The event was attended by over 100 citizens. Jim Garman, Town Historian, shared the history of the meeting house and its importance to the Town.  Historical pictures of the property, provided

Portsmouth RI Celebrated Founders Day on March 6th 2020 The founding of Portsmouth was made official on March 7 with the signing of the Compact of 1638 that established the settlement of Portsmouth RI. It was the first document in American history that severed both political and religious ties with England, and has been called

Historical Society receives treasure – The Newport Daily News – 2-25-20 Daily News staff The Portsmouth Historical Society recently received a special gift related to Aquidneck Island transportation. Through the generosity of Mrs. Beverly Hall, the Society has received two log books of the Newport and Providence Railway Company. This trolley company (1903-1925) was the

On February 22, 2020, The Portsmouth Historical Society invited friends to join them as Varnum Museum Curator Patrick Donovan gave the Portsmouth Historical Society a private tour of the 1914 National Registered Varnum Armory Museum (6 Main Street, East Greenwich RI) . It has an extensive collection of artifacts from the Revolutionary War through WWII.

On February 4th, 2020, as a followup up to our book club, Gaspee Days Historian Dr. John Concannon gave a lecture titled “The Conspiracy to Destroy the Gaspee” with interesting snippets about Prudence Island. It is an important piece of RI history, commemorated “over the bridges”. See Celebrate@gaspee.com and History@Gaspee.org. A video of the presentation is available on our

Tuesday, January 14   Portsmouth Historical Society Book Series Topic: The Burning of the His Majesty’s Schooner Gaspee: An Attack on Crown Rule Before the American Revolution, by Stephen Park Location: Portsmouth Library The Portsmouth Historical Society in partnership with the Portsmouth Free Public Library hosts regular discussions of books that bring our fascinating local history alive. January’s book

Thursday 16 January 2020 – Town Historian Jim Garman gave a lecture titled “Last Call: The beginning of Prohibition” with emphasis on the local aspect of “The Noble Experiment”. It will be held at the Portsmouth Library and is  co-sponsored by the Library and the Portsmouth Historical Society. This date was carefully chosen because it