Timeline of Newport, Rhode Island

Timeline of Newport, Rhode Island.

17th century

• 1639 - William Coddington settles. ^[1]
• 1643 - First Society of Friends established (approximate date). ^[2]
• 1644
  • Newport becomes part of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
  • Name changed from Aquidneck
  • United Baptist Church founded. ^[3]
• 1647 - Friends' Burial Ground established.
• 1654 - Thames Street laid out.
• 1656 - Second Baptist Church established. ^[2]
• 1663 - Easton's windmill built. ^[4]
• 1673 - White Horse Tavern enlarged into a tavern.
• 1675 - Clifton Burying Ground established.
• 1677
  • Jewish Cemetery dedicated.
  • Stone mill in operation (approximate date). ^[4]
• 1681 - Custom-house established. ^[5]
• 1690 - Town House built. ^[6]
• 1695 - First Congregational Church established.
• 1696 — The first recorded slave ship, the "Sea Flower," arrives in Newport carrying 47 captives, 14 of whom are sold in Newport. ^[7]
• 1697 - Mumford house (residence) built (approximate date).
• 1699 - Great Friends Meeting House built.

18th century

• Early 1700s — Newport becomes a major hub of the triangular slave trade ^[7]
• 1703 - Fort built on Goat Island (approximate date).
• 1705 - John Stevens stonecarving shop in business.
• 1723 - July 19: Pirates hanged on Gravelly point. ^[8]
• 1726 - Trinity Church built. ^[2]
• 1727 - James Franklin sets up printing press. ^[9]
• 1730
  • Literary and Philosophical Society organized. ^[10]
  • Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House built. ^[11]
  • White Horse Tavern in business.
  • Population: 4,640. ^[3]
• 1732 - Rhode Island Gazette newspaper begins publication. ^{[12] [13]}
• 1733 - Organ installed in Trinity Church. ^[5]
• 1735 - Clarke Street Meeting House built.
• 1740 - January: Snow storm. ^[8]
• 1741
  • State House built. ^{[3] [14]}
  • Artillery Company of Newport chartered. ^[2]
• 1743 - Middletown separates from Newport. ^[15]
• 1746 - Almshouse built. ^[15]
• 1747 - Redwood Library established. ^{[10] [3]}
• 1749 - Lighthouse built. ^[15]
• 1750 - Fire company organized. ^[6]
• 1752
  • Marine society established. ^[1]
  • Hunter's Dispensary in business.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 1755 - Aaron Lopez (merchant) in business. ^[16]
• 1758 - Newport Mercury newspaper begins publication. ^[12]
• 1760 - Francis Malbone House and John Tillinghast House built.
• 1761
  • Jewish Club organized.
  • Douglass travelling theatre troupe performs. ^[5]
• 1762 - Brick Market built.
• 1763 - Touro Synagogue ^{[2] [3]} and Granary built. ^[6]
• 1764 - Shots fired at HMS St John.
• 1765
  • June: Demonstration against impressment. ^[17]
  • August 27: Protest against Stamp Act.
• 1774 - Population: 9,209. ^[5]
• 1776
  • December 8: British occupation begins. ^{[5] [3]}
  • Population: 5,229. ^[5]
• 1778
  • August 29: Battle of Rhode Island
  • December: Snow storm. ^[8]
• 1779 - October 25: British occupation ends. ^{[5] [3]}
• 1780
  • July 12: French troops arrive. ^[5]
  • Charles Feke apothecary in business. ^[18]
  • Clarke Cooke House built.
  • Free African Union Society founded ^[19]
• 1781
  • March 6: George Washington visits Rochambeau in Newport. ^[5]
  • French troops depart. ^[5]
• 1784
  • City incorporated. ^[5]
  • George Hazard becomes mayor. ^[5]
  • Goat Island sold to U.S. military.
• 1787 - Town government resumes. ^{[5] [13]}
• 1788 - Brissot de Warville finds "houses falling to ruin and grass growing in the public square" and Population: "less than 6000". ^[3]
• 1790
  • August 17: George Washington visits Newport. ^[8]
  • Population: 6,716. ^[20]
• 1792 - Newport Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers incorporated. ^[21]
• 1799
  • Fort Adams built.
  • Yellow fever epidemic. ^[8]

19th century

• 1803 - Newport National Bank incorporated. ^[2]
• 1805 - First Methodist Episcopal Church established. ^[2]
• 1810 - Spencer's variety store in business. ^[2]
• 1811
  • Hammond's Circulating Library in business. ^[22]
  • Samuel Whitehorne House built.
• 1814 - Sherman & Co. grocers in business. ^[2]
• 1815 - September 23: Gale. ^[8]
• 1819
  • Newport Asylum built on Coasters' Harbor Island. ^[23]
  • Savings Bank of Newport incorporated. ^[2]
• 1823 - Newport Harbor Lighthouse built.
• 1828 - Mechanics' Library established. ^[24]
• 1831 - Newport Steam Factory built.
• 1832 - Cozzens carpet shop in business. ^[25]
• 1833 - June 19: Andrew Jackson visits Newport. ^[8]
• 1834 - Zion Episcopal Church built. ^[5]
• 1835
  • Davis' Family Bakery in business. ^[2]
  • Perry Cotton Mill built. ^[5]
• 1837 - Coddington cotton mill built. ^[5]
• 1838 - Armory built.
• 1839 - Kingscote (mansion) built.
• 1845
  • Ocean House hotel in business. ^[25]
  • Old Colony Railroad begins
• 1846
  • The Newport Daily News begins publication.
  • First Baptist Church building ^[2] and Van Zandt house constructed. ^[5]
• 1847
  • Central Baptist Chursh established. ^[2]
  • Hazard grocery and Langley & Bennett in business. ^[25]
• 1851 - Beechwood (mansion) built.
• 1852
  • Street lighting by gas lamp begins (approximate date). ^[8]
  • Chateau-sur-Mer (residence) built.
  • St. Mary's Church completed.
• 1853
  • City incorporated again. ^{[5] [13]}
  • Robert B. Cranston becomes mayor.
  • Church of the Holy Name of Mary built. ^[2]
• 1854
  • Newport Historical Society and Newport Reading Room founded.
  • Sisters of Mercy convent built.
  • Lighthouse commissioned on Lime Rock.
• 1855 - Touro Park established. ^[4]
• 1857 - United Congregational Church built.
• 1859 - August 23: Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of Newport. ^[8]
• 1860 - Chepstow (mansion) built.
• 1861 - Kaull & Anthony grocers in business. ^[2]
• 1862 - Nason upholstery in business. ^[25]
• 1863 - School house built on Willow Street. ^[26]
• 1864
  • Old Colony and Newport Railway begins operating. ^[5]
  • Shiloh Baptist Church organized. ^[2]
• 1865
• Newport Free Library and Reading Room established, first public library in Rhode Island.
• Young Men's Christian Organization formed with the goal to gather books for a library.
• Newport Light Infantry formed. ^{[6] [27]}
  • Scott grocery in business. ^[25]
• 1866 - Atlantic House roller skating rink opens. ^[28]
• 1867
  • Young Men's Christian Organization disbanded.
  • Newport Free Library and Reading Room Incorporated. ^[24]
  • Frasch confectionery in business. ^[25]
  • Opera house established. ^[3]
• 1869
• People's Library Incorporated
  • U.S. Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island.
  • August: Ulysses S. Grant visits Newport. ^[8]
• 1870
  • Rose Island Light built.
  • The People's Free Library, later the Newport Public Library opens at its new location on Thames Street on May 4 completing the merger with the Newport Free Library and Reading Room. ^[29]
  • Newport & Wickford Railroad and Steamboat Company organized. ^[30]
  • Population - 12,521. ^[3]
• 1871 - Newport Manufacturing Company mill built. ^[5]
• 1873
  • Newport Hospital opens. ^[2]
  • Rogers High School founded.
• 1874 - Ward's Circulating Library in business. ^[24]
• 1875 - Population: 14,028. ^[6]
• 1876 - International Polo Cup match held.
• 1878
  • Young Men's Christian Association re-organized. ^[2]
  • King & McLeod (dry goods) and Marshall & Flynn (printer) in business. ^[25]
• 1880
  • Channing Memorial Church ^[2] and Newport Casino built.
  • May 30: The League of American Wheelmen is formed in Newport ^[31]
  • Population - 15,693. ^[3]
• 1881
  • City water system authorized. ^[5]
  • Newport Skating Rink opens. ^[5]
  • Tennis tournament begins at Newport Casino.
  • Groff pharmacy in business. ^[25]
• 1882
  • Couzens and Bull telephone exchange in business. ^[5]
  • Free Chapel of St. John the Evangelist established. ^[2]
  • Vinland Estate built.
• 1883 - Isaac Bell House built.
• 1884
  • Naval War College established.
  • July 4: Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of Newport. ^[32]
• 1885
  • St. Joseph's Church established. ^[2]
  • Morton Park established (approximate date). ^[8]
  • Stone Tower restored. ^[4]
• 1888 - Carr bookseller and Hass florist in business. ^[25]
• 1889 - Electric trolley begins operating. ^[5]
• 1890's - Bailey's Beach founded. ^[13]
• 1891 - Rockhurst (residence) built.
• 1892 - Marble House, Ochre Court, and Rough Point built.
• 1893
  • Newport Country Club established.
  • Old Colony Railroad stops operations.
• 1894 - Belcourt Castle (residence) built.
• 1895 - National Open Golf Championship held at Newport Country Club. ^[5]
  • The Breakers (residence) built.
• 1896 - St. George's School established near Newport.
• 1898 - Vernon Court (residence) built.
• 1899 - September 7: Automobile parade. ^[5]
• 1900 - Rhode Island state capital relocates to Providence. ^[13]

20th century

• 1901
  • The Elms (residence) built.
  • TJ Brown in business.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 1902 - Newport Historical Society Museum building ^[5] and Oelrichs House constructed.
• 1905
  • Civic League formed. ^[33]
  • Population: 25,039. ^[13]
• 1908 - Cardines Field baseball stadium is opened.
• 1910 - Population: 27,149. ^[13]
• 1912 - Art Association of Newport organized. ^[34]
• 1915 - Miramar (mansion) built.
• 1919
  • Seamen's Church Institute founded. ^[35]
  • U.S. Navy sex scandal.
• 1923 - Rhode Island Route 114 designated.
• 1925
  • Seaview Terrace (residence) built.
  • March 25: A fire destroys the third floor of City Hall; Newport's fire chief dies in the blaze ^[36]
• 1926 - Hotel Viking (hotel) opens.
• 1926 - Courthouse built on Washington Square. ^[5]
• 1930 - America's Cup yacht race relocates to Newport.
• 1934 - Salve Regina University chartered.
• 1937 - Population: 27,612. ^[5]
• 1938 - September: Hurricane.
• 1942 - Naval Academy Preparatory School relocates to Newport.
• 1946 - United Baptist Church established.
• 1948 - WADK radio (1540 AM) begins broadcasting as WRJM. Call Letters changed to WADK in November 1953.
• 1950 - Naval Justice School relocates to Newport.
• 1953 - September 12: wedding of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier at St. Mary's Church.
• 1954
  • Newport Jazz Festival begins.
  • Tennis Hall of Fame established.
• 1958 - President Eisenhower establishes his summer White House at the Fort Adams Commandants House. ^{[37] [38]}
• 1959
  • Newport Folk Festival begins.
  • Rovensky Park established.
• 1960 - Population: 47,049.
• 1964 - Newport State Airport (Rhode Island) in operation.
• 1965
  • Fort Adams State Park established.
  • Folk singer Bob Dylan performs a controversial but influential electric folk-rock concert at the Newport Folk Festival.
• 1969
  • Newport Bridge opens.
  • Newport Folk Festival held for the final time before a 16-year hiatus.
• 1972 - Newport Jazz Festival moves to New York City
• 1976 - Brenton Point State Park established.
• 1978 - Naval War College Museum in operation.
• 1980 - Newport Rugby Football Club (Rhode Island) formed.
• 1981 - Newport Jazz Festival re-established at Fort Adams.
• 1983
  • New York Yacht Club loses the America's cup to the Royal Perth Yacht Club
  • Sail Newport established
• 1985 - Newport Folk Festival re-established at Fort Adams.
• 1993 - Yacht Restoration School founded.
• 1998
  • Newport International Film Festival begins.
  • SVF Foundation established (livestock preservation).
• 2000 - National Museum of American Illustration opens.

21st century

• 2004 - City website online (approximate date). ^[39]
• 2010 - Population: 24,672.
• 2012 - October: Hurricane Sandy storm surge washes away large sections of the Cliff Walk ^[40]
• 2014 - June: The Cliff Walk reopens after restoration following 2012's storm damage by Hurricane Sandy ^[41]
• 2020 - March: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all dine-in restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and all gatherings of 25 or more are banned in Newport and across the state. This brings a halt to nearly all concerts, sports, and other events. ^[42] Newport mansions are closed. ^[43]
• 2022 - March: A 20-foot section of the Ciff Walk collapses near Narragansett Avenue and Webster Street and is closed ^[44]

See also

• Newport history
• Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island

References

1. Morse 1797.
2. Sanford 1887.
3. Britannica 1884.
4. Godfrey 1951.
5. Federal Writers' Project 1937: "Newport"
6. Denison 1879.
7. Landeck, Katie (February 12, 2024). "How did Black people immigrate to RI? And why did they settle mostly in Providence?". The Providence Journal. USA Today network. p. 15A. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
8. Bayles 1888.
9. Rhode Island Historical Society 1915.
10. George C. Mason (1891), Annals of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport, R.I: Redwood Library, OL   13993479M
11. "History of the NHS". Newport Historical Society. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
12. "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
13. Britannica 1910.
14. George Adams (1856), Rhode Island Register, Providence: Gladding & Brother, OCLC   5628226, OL   20623769M
15. Carl Bridenbaugh (1971), Cities in Revolt: Urban Life in America, 1743-1776, London: Oxford University Press, OL   16383796M
16. Bruce M. Bigelow (1931). "Aaron Lopez: Colonial Merchant of Newport". New England Quarterly. 4 (4): 757–776. doi:10.2307/359587. JSTOR   359587.. Virginia Bever Platt (1975). "'And Don't Forget the Guinea Voyage': The Slave Trade of Aaron Lopez of Newport". William and Mary Quarterly. 32 (4): 601–618. doi:10.2307/1919556. JSTOR   1919556.
17. Jesse Lemisch (July 1968). "Jack Tar in the Streets: Merchant Seamen in the Politics of Revolutionary America". William and Mary Quarterly. 25 (3): 371–407. doi:10.2307/1921773. JSTOR   1921773.
18. Mercantile Illustrating Co. 1890.
19. "The origins of the American Civil Rights Movement began right here in Rhode Island..." Rhode Island Black Heritage Society. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
20. Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, US Census Bureau, 1998
21. Greene 1865.
22. "Hammond Collection". New York Society Library. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
23. Dix 1852.
24. Davies Project. "American Libraries before 1876". Princeton University. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
25. Parsons 1892.
26. Services at the dedication of the school house erected by the Trustees of the Long Wharf, May 20th, 1863, Newport: Printed by Pratt and Messer, 1863, OL   7021414M
27. Rhode Island State Archives. "(Newport)". State Archives Catalog. State of Rhode Island. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
28. Stephen Van Dulken (2001). Inventing the 19th Century: 100 Inventions that Shaped the Victorian Age . New York University Press. ISBN   978-0-8147-8810-3.
29. "Library History - Newport Public Library". January 16, 2019.
30. Annual report of the Railroad Commissioner, for ... 1897, Providence, RI: Providence Press, Co., 1898, OCLC   2381452, OL   20509117M
31. "Bicycle Riders at Newport". The New York Times. May 31, 1880. p. 1. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
32. Frank G. Harris (1885), History of the Re-union of the Sons and Daughters of Newport, R.I., July 4th, 1884, Newport: Davis & Pitman, printers, OCLC   5837728, OL   7013504M
33. Civic League of Newport (1906), Bulletin
34. American Art Annual. 1917.
35. "Seamen's Church Institute". Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
36. "100th Anniversary: Newport's City Hall Fire of 1925 with NFD Fire Chief Humphrey J. "Harp" Donnelly IV". Newport Historical Society Events. Newport, Rhode Island: Newport Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 17, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
37. "Eisenhower House at Fort Adams State Park". Rhode Island State Parks. State of Rhode Island. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
38. "American History TV: Eisenhower House". C-SPAN. October 23, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
39. "City of Newport Home Page". Archived from the original on January 27, 2004 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
40. Flynn, Sean (November 6, 2012). "Sandy: The Aftermath The damage is done Repairs to the Cliff Walk will cost the city about $2 million". NewportRI.com. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
41. Burns, Frances (June 25, 2015). "Tourists can once again traverse the Hurricane Sandy-damaged Cliff Walk in Newport, R.I." UPI. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
42. Miller, G. Wayne (March 16, 2020). "Raimondo shutting dine-in restaurants, bars for 2 weeks; 'community spread' of virus now seen in R.I." The Providence Journal. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
43. Gomersall, Jacqui (March 15, 2020). "Newport mansions closing to visitors on Monday". WPRI-12. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
44. Barrett, Scott (March 3, 2022). "'I'm not convinced it's done yet': Section of Cliff Walk in Newport closed after collapse". Newport Daily News. Retrieved April 15, 2022.

Bibliography

Published in the 18th-19th century

• Jedidiah Morse (1797), "Newport", American Gazetteer, Boston: At the presses of S. Hall, and Thomas & Andrews
• John Dix (1852), A hand-book of Newport, and Rhode Island, Newport: C. E. Hammett, Jr., OL   14010810M
• George C. Mason (1854), Newport Illustrated, New York: D. Appleton & Co., OCLC   2000062, OL   271691M
• Records of the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, in New England, A.C. Greene and Brothers, 1865, OCLC   83697440, OL   20490388M
• Frederic Denison (1879), "Newport", The past and the present: Narragansett, sea and shore, Providence: J. A. & R. A. Reid
• Joseph Sabin, ed. (1881). "Newport, R.I.". Bibliotheca Americana. Vol. 13. New York: J. Sabin. OCLC   13972268.
• Newport villa owners' summer visitors' and residents' guide to the reliable business interests of the city, Boston: W. G. Morrison & Co., 1883, OL   14030637M
• Haut ton Newport, per se: one Athens, one Rome, one London, and one Newport, Providence, R.I.: Frazier & Whiting, 1884, OL   24240041M
• "Newport (Rhode Island)"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 17 (9th ed.). 1884.
• Newport Household Directory, Providence: Sanford Publishing Co., 1887, OL   23742750M
• Richard M. Bayles, ed. (1888), History of Newport County, Rhode Island, New York: L. E. Preston & Co., OCLC   2093778, OL   6927312M
• Newport and its points of interest, New York: Mercantile Illustrating Co., 1890, OCLC   16889491, OL   13522970M
• Clarence Stanhope (1891), In and around Newport. 1891, Providence: Press of the Ryder & Dearth Co., OL   14014415M
• "City of Newport". Industries and wealth of the principal points in Rhode Island. NY: Parsons. 1892.
• Clarence Stanhope (1892), In and around Newport. 1892, Newport: Daily News job print, OL   14014416M
• Scenic views of Newport, Fall River, Mass: E.P. Charlton, 1900, OL   14041099M

Published in the 20th century

• May Van Rensselaer (1905), Newport: our social capital, Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, OCLC   1145979, OL   6963237M
• "Newport (Rhode Island)"  . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1910. pp. 534–535.
• Edith May Tilley (1914), Historic Spots in Newport, Newport, R.I: Mercury Pub. Co., OCLC   14237785, OL   24181775M
• Rhode Island imprints: a list of books, pamphlets, newspapers and broadsides printed at Newport, Providence, Warren, Rhode Island, between 1727 and 1800, Providence: Rhode Island Historical Society, 1915, OL   7091649M
• A guide to Newport, Rhode Island, Newport: Gabriel Weis, 1916, OL   14010639M
• Federal Writers' Project (1937), "Newport", Rhode Island, American Guide Series, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, OCLC   691847 + Chronology
• William S. Godfrey, Jr. (October 1951). "The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island". American Antiquity. 17 (2): 120–129. doi:10.2307/277246. JSTOR   277246. S2CID   162235189.
• Trudy Ring and Robert M. Salkin, ed. (1995). "Newport". Americas. International Dictionary of Historic Places. Routledge. p. 471+. ISBN   978-1-134-25930-4.

Images

• 
  Newport, 1730
• 
  Newport, 19th century
• 
  Reunion, 1884
• 
  Thames Street, 19th century

External links

• Works related to Newport, RI, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).
• "Newport". Atlas of the Rhode Island Book Trade in the Eighteenth Century. Rhode Island Historical Society. 2010.

41°29′17″N71°18′47″W / 41.488°N 71.313°W / 41.488; -71.313