Newport Historical Society

2024 HPF CDS - NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WANTON-LYMAN-HAZARD HOUSE

THE NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM OBJECTIVES PRESERVE, PROTECT, AND DEVELOP THE COMPONENTS OF THE NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM IS DONE BY PROMOTING GREATER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTICIPATION IN PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION, EDUCATION, AND OUTDOOR RECREATION PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES, AND BUILDING RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP ETHICS IN ITS PARTICIPANTS. THIS PROJECT PROVIDES FRENCH IN NEWPORT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMING THAT CORRELATES TO THE ARRIVAL OF FRENCH FORCES AND PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR VISITORS TO LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE TRAIL AND GAIN BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ITS RESOURCES AND THROUGH WOMEN ON THE WATER PROGRAM MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RECEIVE HANDS-ON LEARNING AND RECREATIONAL EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM, THEREBY PROVIDING INTERACTIVE AND IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND REMOVING BARRIERS TO ACCESS. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE THE GENERAL PUBLIC, STATES AND OR THEIR POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, LANDOWNERS, PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, OR INDIVIDUALS.

15.926 - P24AS00516 (FY2024 AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM - PRESERVATION PLANNING GRANTS): THE PRESERVATION PLANNING GRANTS OPPORTUNITY PROVIDES FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO STATE, LOCAL AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS, OTHER PUBLIC ENTITIES, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, AND PRIVATE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO IDENTIFY, EVALUATE, INTERPRET, AND PROTECT HISTORIC BATTLEFIELDS AND SITES ASSOCIATED WITH ARMED CONFLICTS ON AMERICAN SOIL THROUGH NON-ACQUISITION PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES. THE NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROJECT, TITLED INTERPRETIVE PLANNING FOR THEC. 1697 WANTON-LYMAN-HAZARD HOUSE AN ANCHOR SITE ON THE WASHINGTON-ROCHAMBEAU REVOLUTIONARY ROUTE HISTORIC TRAIL, WILL DEVELOP AN INTERPRETATION PLAN FOR THE WANTON-LYMAN-HAZARD HOUSE AND DETERMINE HOW BEST TO USE THE SITE TO TELL THE COMPLEX HISTORY AND STORIES OF BLACK AMERICANS IN RHODE ISLAND DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (1770-1783).

THE NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL USE FUNDS TO HIRE A FULL-TIME RESEARCH ASSISTANT TO CONTINUE WORK ON ITS DATABASE OF RECORDS REPRESENTING BLACK AND INDIGENOUS INDIVIDUALS. SINCE THIS WORK FIRST BEGAN IN 2021, THE SOCIETY HAS IDENTIFIED AND RECORDED MORE THAN 1,700 NAMES OF PEOPLE OF AFRICAN AND INDIGENOUS DESCENT FROM THE ARCHIVES. THE RESEARCH ASSISTANT WILL CONTINUE THE REVIEW OF THE COLLECTION, DIGITIZE RECORDS, CREATE BIOGRAPHIES OF AFRICAN, AFRICAN AMERICAN, AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WHO LIVED AND WORKED IN NEWPORT DURING THE ERA OF SLAVERY, AND MAKE THESE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE SOCIETY’S ONLINE DATABASE, ALLOWING RESEARCHERS AND THE PUBLIC TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CITY’S ROLE IN THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND SERVE AS A TOOL FOR DESCENDANT COMMUNITIES TO RESEARCH THEIR ANCESTORS.

PURPOSE: TO SUPPORT THE REINSTALLATION OF PERMANENT GALLERIES AT THE MUSEUM OF NEWPORT HISTORY IN RECOGNITION OF AMERICA250.

FLOOD MATERIAL REHOUSING AT NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY [THE NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY WAS IMPACTED BY A FLOOD IN JANUARY 2024 WHICH SEVERELY DAMAGED A COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 150,000 PHOTO NEGATIVES AND PHOTOGRAPHS DATING FROM 1950 - 2000 FROM THE NEWPORT DAILY NEWS, NEWPORT, RI'S LOCAL NEWSPAPER. THE COLLECTIONS WERE HELD IN A LOWER LEVEL STORAGE SPACE THAT WAS OVERTAKEN WITH WATER DUE TO A SUMP PUMP FAILURE IN THE SPACE. SINCE THE FLOOD (WHICH HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN DECLARED A FEDERAL DISASTER BY FEMA), THE NHS COLLECTIONS TEAM HAS DILIGENTLY BEEN WORKING TO RESTORE THE COLLECTION WITH A DISASTER REMEDIATION TEAM OF SPECIALISTS BASED IN TEXAS. THE COLLECTION WILL RETURN FROM THE SPECIALISTS IN JULY 2024 AND MUST BE REHOUSED ELSEWHERE IN THE NHS RESOURCE CENTER TO ENSURE ITS SAFE STORAGE. THIS GRANT WILL PREPARE THE COLLECTION FOR ITS RETURN TO NEWPORT THIS SUMMER WITH A REVISED SHELVING SYSTEM, PREPARED BY THE NHS TEAM AND STORAGE SPECIALISTS.]

NEWPORT'S THREE REVOLUTIONS EXHIBITION [IN 2026, THE NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL DESIGN AND BUILD A NEW TEMPORARY EXHIBITION, "NEWPORT?S THREE REVOLUTIONS." THIS IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE GUIDES VISITORS THROUGH THREE PIVOTAL PERIODS OF CHANGE IN THE CITY BETWEEN 1775 AND 1783: REVOLUTIONARY, BRITISH, AND FRENCH RULE. THE EXHIBIT WILL FEATURE 18TH-CENTURY ARTIFACTS FROM THE NEWPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTIONS, ALL CENTERED IN PRIMARY SOURCE RESEARCH. ADDITIONALLY, IT EXPLORES THE LASTING LEGACIES OF NEWPORT'S REVOLUTIONARY EXPERIENCE, TRACING ITS IMPACT THROUGH THE CITY'S 19TH, 20TH, AND 21ST-CENTURY HISTORIES. THIS PROJECT OFFERS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE FORMATIVE YEARS CONTINUE TO SHAPE NEWPORT, PROVIDING VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE BROADER AMERICAN NARRATIVE. THE EXHIBITION WILL BE OPEN FREE-OF-CHARGE TO THE PUBLIC FROM FEBRUARY TO DECEMBER 2026.]