Newport Historical Society What’s Up Newport: Newport Historical Society kicks off 250th celebrations

March 19, 2025

By: Ryan Belmore, What’s Up Newport

Tavern Talks Highlight Newport’s Outsized Role in the Revolution

The Newport Historical Society (NHS) will kick off its semiquincentennial celebrations this spring with events that highlight the city’s essential role in American history.

Starting next month and running through 2026, NHS will host a series of Tavern Talks featuring notable historians and authors examining historical narratives and offering perspectives on Revolutionary-era events. One week after the inaugural Tavern Talk, the NHS will host Two Lights for Liberty, a fundraiser and cocktail celebration that will set the tone for two years’ worth of dynamic programming centered on the 250th.

“The road to Yorktown started in Newport, and the Newport Historical Society is committed to preserving and sharing this rich history through engaging programs and events for our community and visitors alike,” said Executive Director Rebecca Bertrand. “Two Lights for Liberty and our upcoming Tavern Talks series offer an exciting preview of what is to come as the NHS commemorates our city’s outsized role in the American Revolution and our nation’s pursuit of independence.”

With new Tavern Talks added regularly, the NHS released its initial line-up of programming related to the 250th anniversary:

April 10: Charlotte Carrington-Farmer – More Than Roger’s Wife: Mary Williams

• Examining the role of Mary Williams and the influence of women before the Revolution. Carrington-Farmer’s book, Roger Williams and His World: A History in Documents, will be available for purchase.

April 18: Two Lights for Liberty

• Fundraiser and cocktail party featuring food, drinks, and revolution-inspired revelry at The Colony House.

May 9: Rick Atkinson – The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780

• Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson explores a critical chapter of the American Revolution. This event, sponsored by Charter Books, will take place at the Colony House.

May 22: Donald Johnson – NHS Exhibit Curator Talk

• A special presentation in conjunction with NHS’s upcoming exhibit. More details to come.

June 12: Michael Hattem – The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History

• A discussion on how the American Revolution has been remembered and interpreted throughout history.

October 9: Evan Wilson – The 250th Anniversary of the Navy, From Britain’s Perspective

• Marking the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, Wilson of the U.S. Naval War College will explore the Navy’s founding through a British historical lens.

Two Lights for Liberty builds off of a national initiative to commemorate the ride of Paul Revere. As State Houses across the country put two lights on display, NHS will light up the Colony House and officially kick off the semiquincentennial.

The following day, April 19, will be observed as a National Day of Service. Locally, Newport Historical Society will host a Touch-a-Truck Food Drive event to benefit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center. Guests are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items and personal care products to the Richard I. Burnham Resource Center from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and donors will be entered in a raffle. For more information about the Touch-a-Truck, visit the events page.

To learn more about Newport Historical Society’s 250th celebrations and the history of Newport during the American Revolution, visit newporthistory.org/250th-anniversary and sign up for the e-newsletter.

Read this story online: https://whatsupnewp.com/2025/03/newport-historical-society-kicks-off-250th-celebrations/