By: John Pantalone, Newport This Week

Newport Historical Society Leads 250th Celebration

Just about everybody will be getting into the act, but the New­port Historical Society seems first in line with plans for a rousing 250th anniversary celebration of the Declaration of Independence under the banner, “Two Lights for Liberty.”

The society has announced plans for events beginning this year and extending through 2026 to mark the founding of the United States. It starts April 18 with a fundraising cocktail party at the Colony House, the site of Rhode Island’s declara­tion of independence two months before the joint declaration on July 4. From there, it will extend to a variety of public programs, exhibi­tions and events.

“In one sense, we’re doing what we do every day,” said Rebecca Bertrand, NHS executive director. “We’re sharing Newport’s im­portant history, and specifically the role it played in the Revolution.”

“Two Lights for Liberty” refers to the national movement to mark the 250th by putting lights in windows, as was done on the night of Paul Revere’s famous ride warning “The British are coming.”

The event coincides with a na­tional initiative to commemorate Revere’s ride. As state houses across the country put two lights on display, NHS will light up the Colony House and officially kick off the celebration.

“We want these events to be as accessible as possible for the entire community,” Bertrand said. “We really want to make more people aware of Newport’s crucial role in the Revolutionary War. The history is important.”

Ongoing programs include a monthly series of “Tavern Talks,” the first taking place on April 10 at NHS headquarters. Historian and author Charlotte Carrington-Farmer will examine the role of Mary Williams, the wife of Roger Williams, and the influence of women before the Revolution.

On April 19, designated a Na­tional Day of Service, NHS will host a Touch-a-Truck Food Drive to benefit the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center. Guests are encouraged to bring non-perish­able food items and personal care products to the Society’s Richard I. Burnham Resource Center on Touro Street from 10 a.m. to noon.

On May 9, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Laurence “Rick” Atkinson will speak at the Colony House, the fourth oldest state house still standing and a significant site of Revolutionary activity. Atkinson is the author of a planned Amer­ican Revolution Trilogy. His work illuminates Newport’s role in the Franco-American Alliance that led to the end of the war and America’s independence.

Bertrand said Newport’s deep connection to French military com­manders played a significant role in the turning point of the war.

As a central part of the celebra­tion, NHS will host an exhibition, “Newport 1775: Whose Side Are You On?” from May through De­cember. The exhibition will tell the stories of six historical Newport figures and the choices they made during the Revolution. It will also explore the human cost of the Rev­olution for those who fought for in­dependence and those who stayed loyal to the king.

Bertrand said the interactive exhibition will also illustrate the role of media in shaping public opinion and trust. The exhibition is designed so visitors can follow their own path and think about how they may have felt and acted at the time when you are forced to choose sides. On May 22, the exhibition curator, Don Johnson, will lecture on the divisions and shifting loyalties in Newport on the eve of the war.

The celebration will also add to its list of guided and self-directed tours a series focused on areas of Newport specific to the region’s role in the Revolutionary War. Sites will include areas illustrating the British occupation of Newport, the role of French military leaders and others. Beginning the first week of April, the society will offer daily self-guided QR-code tours of the Colony House, including one for children.

A free annual event, “The French in Newport,” commemorates the French role in Newport over a two-day period in mid-July. Spon­sored in part by the National Parks Service and the Washington-Ro­chambeau National Historic Trail, the “living history” weekend has historic re-enactors portraying fig­ures like George and Martha Wash­ington, the Marquis de Lafayette and the head of the French army, Comte de Rochambeau.

To learn more about NHS’s 250th celebrations, visit newporthistory.org.

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