Cultural life

Cultural institutions

Library facilities are plentiful throughout the state. The Redwood Library and Athenaeum, in Newport, and the Providence Athenaeum, both proprietary libraries housed in architecturally important buildings, have roots dating to the mid-18th century. The public libraries of Providence and Westerly contain important holdings, the former having special collections on whaling, printing, slavery, and Irish literature. The library of the Rhode Island Historical Society, in Providence, has more than one million manuscripts and is especially strong in its holdings of the state’s genealogical records.

The Rhode Island Historical Society operates the John Brown House Museum, a merchant’s mansion in Providence; built in 1786, the house is furnished with masterpieces of the Newport school of cabinetmakers and with other 18th-century antiques. The Museum of Work and Culture, in Woonsocket, also run by the society, is an interactive museum illustrating daily life in 19th-century Rhode Island mill towns. The Rhode Island School of Design Museum has notable collections, including early Rhode Island furniture and silver. Significant architectural sites in Providence include the Meeting House of the First Baptist Church in America (1775); the Governor Stephen Hopkins House (1708); and the Governor Henry Lippitt House Museum (1863). Roger Williams National Memorial (Providence), Slater Mill Historic Site (Pawtucket), and the South County Museum (Narragansett), a living history museum, offer specialized insights into other aspects of the state’s past.

Preservation societies in both Providence (1956) and Newport (1945) restore and preserve surviving historic homes, while the state Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission is a major centre for research and publications. The Providence Preservation Society was responsible for the creation of the College Hill Historic District, the first such district in the state, and for the salvation of historic Benefit Street. Providence has dozens of designated historic districts, including nearly the entire downtown area. The Preservation Society of Newport County operates as museums several mansions that were formerly the summer homes of wealthy residents, including the Breakers, built by financier and philanthropist Cornelius Vanderbilt. Newport’s extraordinary and varied cultural heritage is exemplified in the Newport Historical Society Museum, with its fine collections; Touro Synagogue National Historic Site (1763), the oldest synagogue in the country and a magnificent example of colonial architecture; Newport Colony House (1739); Hunter House; and the restored colonial homes of the Point section.

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Providence, the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra, the Chorus of Westerly, and numerous smaller groups and organizations are among the state’s musical resources. The renowned Newport Jazz Festival has been staging annual outdoor performances since 1954 (although it moved temporarily to New York City in the 1970s); the festival is held at Fort Adams, as is an annual folk music festival. In addition, the city has the Newport Music Festival, an annual chamber music series, as well as several series featuring renowned soloists. Many of the restored houses in Newport are the settings for these performances. The State Ballet of Rhode Island (1960) performs throughout the state. The Trinity Repertory Company (1964), with its own home in Providence, is renowned for producing works by new playwrights as well as for staging novel productions of classic works.

Sports and recreation

Tourism is one of Rhode Island’s leading economic activities. Notable historical sites of the colonial and Industrial Revolution eras abound on the mainland. The natural attractions of Block Island include public beaches, a large nature reserve, and freshwater ponds. Newport is the primary attraction for visitors, with its culture and the “summer cottages”—in reality, palatial seaside mansions—of wealthy Gilded Age families.

Many recreational activities are centred on the water. From 1930 to 1983 the waters off Newport were the site of the yacht races for the America’s Cup. Professional yachting remains a major sport, and Newport likes to call itself the “yachting capital of the world.” Sportfishing is also highly popular, although stocks of some fish—notably bluefin tuna—have been diminishing.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum (1954) is housed in the Newport Casino building. The Newport Casino was built in 1880 as a clubhouse (the name derives from casina, an Italian term for a summerhouse, rather than any association with gambling) and was the site of the national championships of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association (later the U.S. Tennis Association) from 1881 to 1915 before the association moved to Forest Hills (Queens) in New York City. Newport was also the site of the first championships of the U.S. Golf Association, in 1895.

Media and publishing

The Providence Journal (daily), founded in 1829, is the oldest continuously published major daily newspaper in the United States. Newport, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket have daily papers, and a number of other towns publish weekly newspapers. Other papers of note are Providence Business News (weekly) and Providence en Español, a Spanish-language news weekly.