Events this Weekend

On last year's Lovecraft walk

Saturday August 23, 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating H. P. Lovecraft: A Literary Walk

This walking tour celebrates the life and work of Providence native and author Howard Phillips Lovecraft to mark the anniversary of his birth. Acknowledged genius of occult and horror fiction, Lovecraft’s “Providence stories” (written between 1924 and 1935) provide the basis for this walk.

The tour departs from the John Brown House Museum, 52 Power Street, Providence.
Tickets are $12 per person, and the tour lasts 90 minutes. For more information and to reserve a ticket, please call Dalila Goulart at (401) 331-8575 x45 email programs@rihs.org

Saturday, August 23rd at 5:30 p.m.
RiverWalk: Before the Fires are Lit

After the arrival of Roger Williams in 1636, rivers shaped the life of the city of Providence. The Colonial waterfront was the site of a thriving shipping economy for a young town. Eventually, factories and railroads turned attention away from the rivers and toward the land. After the 1950s, highways and bridges covered the waterways, and the rivers were forgotten.

But that was yesterday! Today, architects and city planners are creating a “new” waterfront. Once again, the rivers take center stage. And no event commands more attention than Barnaby Evans’ WaterFire. Smartly designed walkways, parks, and pedestrian bridges invite strolling, especially on summer evenings. Urban outdoor sculpture and beautiful civic and commercial buildings of varied architectural styles provide the setting for stories of Providence’s fabled past and dynamic present. This walk shares the history of Rhode Island’s capital city and the history of WaterFire.

$10 per person. Reservations requested for this tour. For more information and to reserve a ticket, please call Dalila Goulart at (401) 331-8575 x45 email programs@rihs.org

For a schedule of WaterFire lightings visit www.waterfire.org or call (401) 272-3111. This walk is offered in collaboration with WaterFire.

Roland O. Campbell, 1920-2008

Mike Russo (l) and Roland Campbell at the Library

Former long-time RIHS staff member Roland Campbell passed away on the evening of August 13 at the age of 88. He had been battling a bad case of pneumonia and had recently suffered a heart attack. He was the husband of the late Irene (Laliberte) Campbell.

Born in Central Falls, RI in January 1920, he was the son of the late Joseph and Alexandrine Campbell. He operated Campbell’s Market on Pine Street in Providence for over 40 years. Roland served in the Army Air Corp during World War II. One of his favorite summer pastimes was cheering on the Boston Red Sox and attending Pawtucket Red Sox games. Mr. Campbell worked at the Society’s Library for many years, retiring in 2003 after two decades of service.

He is survived by two sons, Paul R Campbell of Cranston, Peter A Campbell of Lincoln and a daughter Francine M Rossi of Northport, NY, and a brother Roger A Campbell of Mirror Lake NH. He also leaves seven grandsons and a granddaughter.

The funeral was held on Tuesday at 8:45am from The Butterfield Chapel 500 Pontiac Avenue Cranston, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Ann’s church Cranston Street at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Beacon Hospice, 1 Catamore Blvd, East Providence, RI 02914.

Welcome to the RIHS

The Rhode Island Historical Society is a privately endowed membership organization, founded in 1822, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Rhode Island ’s history.  Its offices are located at 110 Benevolent Street , Providence , Rhode Island , 02906 .  Information about its collections and historic buildings, and about its program and events, may be found through our website.

History

Founded in 1822, the Society is the fourth oldest state historical society in the United States (after the Massachusetts Historical Society, New York Historical Society, and Maine Historical Society).  The Rhode Island Historical Society was founded and supported by many early Rhode Island luminaries, including Moses Brown and Henry J. Steere.

Description

The Society has the largest and most important historical collections in existence relating to Rhode Island .  These collections include some 25,000 objects, 5,000 manuscripts, 100,000 books and printed items, 400,000 photographs and maps, and 9 million feet of motion-picture film.  The Society owns and maintains the notable John Brown House ( 52 Power Street , Providence ), a National Historic Landmark built in 1786; the Aldrich House ( 110 Benevolent Street , Providence ), also a National Historic Landmark, built in 1822; and the Library of Rhode Island History ( 121 Hope Street , Providence ).  The Society also maintains the Museum of Work and Culture ( 42 South Main Street , Woonsocket ), a regional history museum devoted to the ethnic history of northern Rhode Island .  The Society offers through the Newell D. Goff Education Center a variety of educational programs including workshops, lectures, films, and walking tours of Providence .  In recent years the Society has been very active in teacher training programs seeking to improve the quality of history teaching in Rhode Island .  The Society also presents exhibits, films, concerts, and many other community activities and programs.

Recent News

The Society’s most noteworthy recent advances include its first on-line collection access catalog and the first major restoration of the historic John Brown House, a $2.5 million project that should be complete in 2010.

Please join us!

While we preserve the past, our members ensure our future through membership fees, special gifts, and donations to the collections. Rhode Island’s history is the story of all the people who have lived here. We need your help to tell those stories.