Newport, Rhode Island
Encyclopedia
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island
in Newport County
, Rhode Island
, United States
, about 30 miles (48.3 km) south of Providence
. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University
and Naval Station Newport
which houses the United States Naval War College
, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center
, and a major United States Navy
training center. A major 18th century port city, Newport now contains among the highest number of surviving colonial buildings of any city in the United States. The city is the county seat of Newport County
(a county that no longer has any governmental functions other than court administrative and sheriff corrections boundaries). Newport was known for being the city of some of the "Summer White Houses
" during the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower
and John F. Kennedy
. The population was 24,672 at the 2010 census.
Newport was founded in 1639 and its eight founders and first officers were Nicholas Easton
, William Coddington
, John Clarke
, John Coggeshall
, William Brenton
, Jeremy Clark
, Thomas Hazard, and Henry Bull
, who left Portsmouth, Rhode Island
after a political fallout with Anne Hutchinson
and her followers. As part of the agreement, Coddington and his followers took control of the southern side of the island. They were soon joined by Nicholas Easton, who had recently been expelled from Massachusetts for holding heretical beliefs. The settlement soon grew to be the largest of the four original towns of Rhode Island. Many of the first colonists in Newport quickly became Baptists, and in 1640 the second Baptist congregation in Rhode Island was formed under the leadership of John Clarke.
Peace did not last long in Newport, as many did not like Coddington's autocratic style. As a result, by 1650 a counter faction led by Nicholas Easton was formed. The Coddington/Easton divide would dominate Newport politics for much of the 17th century. Newport soon grew to become the most important port in colonial Rhode Island. A public school was established in 1640.
In 1658 a group of Jews fleeing the Inquisition
in Spain and Portugal were allowed to settle in Newport (Jews fleeing Brazil after defending Dutch interests there against the Portuguese were denied the right to stay in then-Dutch New York until governor Peter Stuyvesant
finally relented in 1655; seeking asylum in Spain and Portugal was not an option). The Newport congregation, now referred to as Congregation Jeshuat Israel, is the second oldest Jewish congregation in the United States and meets in the oldest standing synagogue in the United States, Touro Synagogue
.
In 1663 the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
received its Royal Charter and Benedict Arnold (1615–1678) was elected its first Governor at Newport. The town remained the capital until Rhode Island became the 13th state of the Union in 1790, at which time the capital was moved to Providence.
The beginning of the commercial activity which raised Newport to its fame as a rich port was begun by a second wave of Portuguese Jews who settled there about the middle of the 18th century. They had been practicing Judaism in secret for three hundred years in Portugal, liable to torture and murder by the Inquisition if they were caught, and were attracted to Rhode Island because of the freedom of worship there. They brought with them commercial experience and connections, capital and a spirit of enterprise. Most prominent among those were Jacob Rodrigues Rivera (died 1789), who arrived in 1745, and Aaron Lopez
, who came in 1750. The former introduced into America the manufacture of sperm oil, which became one of the leading industries and made Newport rich. Newport, whose inhabitants were engaged in whale fishing, developed 17 manufactories of oil and candles and enjoyed a practical monopoly of this trade down to the Revolution.
Aaron Lopez
(died May 28, 1782), who fled to Newport from Lisbon in 1752, is credited with making Newport an important center of trade. "To him in a larger degree than to any one else was due the rapid commercial development which made Newport for a quarter of a century afterward the most formidable rival of New York." He induced 40 Portuguese Jewish families to settle there. Within fourteen years of Lopez’ activity, Newport had 150 vessels engaged in trade. Lopez was involved in the slave trade, manufactured spermaceti candles, ships, barrels, rum, chocolate, textiles, clothes, shoes, hats, and bottles. He became the wealthiest man in Newport, but was denied citizenship on religious grounds, even though British law protected the rights of Jews to become citizens. He appealed to the Rhode Island legislature for redress and was refused with this ruling: “Inasmuch as the said Aaron Lopez hath declared himself by religion a Jew, this Assembly doth not admit himself nor any other of that religion to the full freedom of this Colony. So that the said Aaron Lopez nor any other of said religion is not liable to be chosen into any office in this colony nor allowed to give vote as a free man in choosing others.” Lopez persisted by applying for citizenship in Massachusetts, where it was granted.
Much of the commercial activity was centered on the area called Washington Square, which was once the center of both the commercial and civic life of the colonial city.
In the early 17th century, a large number of Quakers also settled in Newport. The evidence of this population can be seen today in the fact that many streets in the oldest part of town known as "The Point
", are named after trees. The Quaker meetinghouse
in Newport (1699) is the oldest house of worship in Rhode Island. In 1727, James Franklin (brother of Benjamin
) was printing in Newport; in 1732, he published the first newspaper, the Rhode Island Gazette. In 1758, his son James founded the Mercury, a weekly paper. Throughout the 18th century the famous Goddard and Townsend
furniture was made in Newport.
Throughout the 18th century, Newport suffered from an imbalance of trade with the largest colonial ports. As a result, Newport merchants were forced to develop alternatives to conventional exports.
Newport was also a major center of pirate activity during the late 17th and early 18th century. So many pirates used Newport as their base of operations that the London Board of Trade made an official complaint to the English government. The most famous pirate who made Newport his base was Thomas Tew
. Tew was very popular with the locals; after one of his pirating voyages, it was reported that almost the whole town came out to greet him.
In the 1720s, colonial leaders, acting under pressure from the British government, arrested many pirates. Many were hanged in Newport and were buried on Goat Island.
During the colonial period, Newport was the center of the slave trade in New England. Newport was active in the “triangle trade,” in which slave-produced sugar and molasses from the Caribbean were carried to Rhode Island and distilled into rum, which was then carried to West Africa and exchanged for captives. In 1764, Rhode Island had about 30 rum distilleries, 22 in Newport alone. Many of the great fortunes made during this period were made in the slave trade. The Common Burial Ground on Farewell Street was where most of the slaves were buried. Sixty percent of slave trading voyages launched from North America – in some years more than 90% – issued from tiny
Rhode Island, many from Newport. Almost half were trafficked illegally, breaking a 1787 state law prohibiting residents of the state from trading in slaves. Slave traders were also breaking federal statutes of 1794 and 1800 barring Americans from carrying slaves to
ports outside the United States, and the 1807 Congressional act abolishing the transatlantic slave trade. A few Rhode Island families made substantial fortunes in the trade. William
and Samuel Vernon, Newport merchants who later played an important role in financing the creation of the United States Navy, sponsored thirty African slaving ventures. However, it was the D’Wolfs of Bristol, RI, and most notably James De Wolf
, who were the largest slave trading family in all of North America, mounting more than eighty transatlantic voyages, most illegal. The Rhode Island slave trade was broadly based. Seven hundred Rhode Islanders owned or captained slave ships, including most substantial merchants, and many ordinary shopkeepers and tradesmen, who purchased shares in slaving voyages,
During the American Revolution, Newport was the scene of much activity. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
, William Ellery, came from Newport. He later served on the Naval Committee.
In the winter of 1775 and 1776, the Rhode Island Legislature put militia General William West in charge of rooting out loyalists
in Newport, and several notable individuals such as Joseph Wanton
and Thomas Vernon
were exiled to the northern part of the state. In the fall of 1776, the British, seeing that Newport could be used as a naval base to attack New York (which they had recently occupied) took over the city. The population of Newport had divided loyalties and many pro independence "Patriots" left town while loyalist "Tories" remained. For the next three years Newport was a British stronghold.
In the summer of 1778, the Americans began the campaign known as the Battle of Rhode Island
. This was the first joint operation between the Americans and the French after the signing of the Treaty of Alliance
. The Americans based in Tiverton, planned a formal siege of the town. However, the French (wanting a frontal assault) refused to take part in the siege. This weakened the American position and the British were able to expel the Americans from the island. The following year, the British, wanting to concentrate their forces in New York, abandoned Newport.
On July 10, 1780, a French expedition
sent by King Louis XVI commanded by Rochambeau
arrived with an army of 450 officers and 5,300 men in Narragansett Bay
off Newport. For the rest of the war Newport was the base of the French forces in the United States. In July 1781, Rochambeau was finally able to leave Newport for Providence
to begin the decisive march to Yorktown, Virginia
along with General George Washington
. The first Catholic mass in Rhode Island was said in Newport during this time. Rochambeau Monument
in Kings Park on Wellington Avenue along Newport Harbor commemorates Rochambeau's contributions to the Revolutionary War and to Newport's history.
By the time the war ended (1783) Newport's population had fallen from over 9,000 (according to the census of 1774) to less than 4,000. Over 200 abandoned buildings were torn down in the 1780s. Also, the war destroyed Newport's economic wealth, as years of military occupation closed the city to any form of trade. The Newport merchants moved away, some to Providence, others to Boston
and New York.
It was in Newport in 1791 that the Rhode Island General Assembly
, acting under pressure from the merchant community of Providence, voted to ratify the Constitution
and become the 13th state.
The city is the site of the last residence of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
, the birthplace of Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the Reverend William Ellery Channing
.
Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, wealthy southern planters seeking to escape the heat began to build summer cottages on Bellevue Avenue such as Kingscote
(1839). Around the middle of the century, wealthy Yankee
s such as the Wetmore family also began constructing larger mansions such as Chateau-sur-Mer
(1852) nearby. Most of these early families made a substantial part of their fortunes in the Old China Trade
.
By the turn of the 20th century, many of the nation's wealthiest families were summering in Newport, including the Vanderbilts
, Astors
and Widener family
who constructed the largest "cottages", such as The Breakers
(1895) and Miramar
. They came for a brief social season to grand, gilded mansions with elaborate receiving, dining, music and ballrooms, but with few bedrooms, since the guests were expected to have cottages of their own. Many of the homes were designed by the New York architect Richard Morris Hunt
, who himself kept a house in Newport.
The social scene at Newport is described in Edith Wharton
's novel The Age of Innocence
. Wharton's own Newport cottage was called Land's End. Today, many mansions continue in private use. Hammersmith Farm
, the mansion from which Jackie Kennedy was married, was open to tourists as a 'house museum,' but has been purchased and reconverted into a private residence. Many other mansion remain open to tourists. Still others were converted into academic buildings for Salve Regina College in the 1930s when the owners could no longer afford their tax bills.
In the mid-19th century, a large number of Irish immigrants settled in Newport. The Fifth Ward of Newport (in the southern part of the city) became a staunch Irish neighborhood for many generations. To this day, St. Patrick's Day is an important day of pride and celebration in Newport, with a large parade going down Thames Street.
The oldest Catholic parish in Rhode Island, St. Mary's
is located on Spring Street, though the current building is not the original one.
was the only other state to have more than one capital at one time.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier
were married in St. Mary's Church in Newport on September 12, 1953.
Presidents Kennedy
and Eisenhower both made Newport the sites of their "Summer White Houses
" during their years in office. Eisenhower stayed at Quarters A at the Naval War College
, while Kennedy used Hammersmith Farm
.
In the 20th century, immigrants from Portugal and the Caribbean
began settling in Newport, adding to the rich diversity of the city.
The city has long been entwined with the United States Navy
. From 1952 to 1973, it hosted the Cruiser-Destroyer Force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
, and subsequently it has from time to time hosted smaller numbers of warships. It held the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy during the American Civil War
(1861–65), when the undergraduate officer training school was temporarily moved north from Annapolis, Maryland
. It remains home to the U.S. Naval War College
and the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), the center of Surface Warfare Officer training, and a large division of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center
. The decommissioned
aircraft carrier is moored in an inactive status at the docks previously used by the Cruiser-Destroyer Force. The shared the pier until June 2010.
The departure of the Cruiser-Destroyer fleet from Newport and the closure of nearby Naval Air Station Quonset Point
in 1973 was devastating to the local economy. The population of Newport decreased, businesses closed, and property values plummeted. However, in the late 1960s, the city had begun revitalizing the downtown area with the construction of America's Cup Avenue, malls of stores and condominiums, and upscale hotels. Construction was completed on the Newport Bridge
. The Preservation Society of Newport County
began opening Newport's historic mansions to the public, and the tourist industry became Newport's primary commercial enterprise over the subsequent years.
It is the largest city on Aquidneck Island
in Narragansett Bay
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 11.5 square miles (29.8 km²), of which, 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²) of it is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) of it (30.86%) is water. The Newport Bridge
, the longest suspension bridge in New England, connects Newport to neighboring Conanicut Island
across the East Passage of the Narragansett.It is also home to the NFL's Newport,39ers(7-4).
The population density was 3,336.3 people per square mile (1,287.4/km²). There were 13,226 housing units at an average density of 1,666.7 per square mile (643.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.1% White, 7.8% African American, 0.85% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 2.41% from other races
, and 3.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.5% of the population.
There were 11,566 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.3% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.2% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,669, and the median income for a family was $54,116. Males had a median income of $37,780 versus $27,492 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,441. About 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line.
Newport has one of the highest concentrations of colonial homes in the nation, in the downtown Newport Historic District
, one of three National Historic Landmark Districts in the city. Many of these homes were restored in the late 20th century through grants made by Newport resident Doris Duke
, as well as other local efforts such as Operation Clapboard. As a result, Newport's colonial heritage is well-preserved and documented at the Newport Historical Society
. In addition to the colonial architecture, the city is known for its Gilded Age
mansions, which have also received extensive restoration from both private owners and non-profits such as the Preservation Society of Newport County
.
Another National Historic Landmark District, Bellevue Avenue
, is the home of the International Tennis Hall of Fame
, where important tennis players are commemorated, as well as a number of mansions dating back to the Gilded Age
, including The Breakers
, Belcourt Castle
, Chateau-sur-Mer
, The Elms
, Marble House
, Rosecliff
, Rough Point
, and the William Watts Sherman House
. Some of these are open for guided tours.
With coastlines on the west, south and east, Newport is a maritime city. Its harbors teem with commercial fishing boats, power and sail pleasure craft. It is known as the sailing capitol of the United States. Many defenses by the New York Yacht Club
of the America's Cup
yachting prize took place here. Newport Country Club
was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association
; it hosted the first U.S. Open
and the first U.S. Amateur, both held in 1895. The Newport Country Club
hosted the 1995 U.S. Amateur Open, made notable by Tiger Woods' second of three consecutive wins of said Open. In June 2006, the city hosted the U.S. Women's Open. In June it also hosts the annual Campbell's Hall of Fame Championships tennis tournament as part of the ATP Tour (it is traditionally the last grass court event of the season). Each August the International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup
is held; this event is part of the Outback Champions Series
.
In 2001, Newport became the new home of the Newport Gulls
baseball team of the NECBL. The city hosted the 2005 NECBL All-Star Game at Cardines Field
, which, originally built in 1908, is one of the oldest active baseball parks in the country.
The Gulls, the historic Sunset League
, and other teams attract thousands of fans to Cardines weekly throughout the summer. Directly up West Marlborough Street from the ballpark is the White Horse Tavern
, built prior to 1673, and considered to be one of the oldest surviving tavern
s in the US.
Newport is also home to the Newport Tower, Salve Regina University
, Hammersmith Farm
, Prescott Farm
, and the Touro Synagogue
, one of the oldest Jewish houses of worship in the Western hemisphere, as well as the Newport Public Library
, Redwood Library and Athenaeum
, one of the nation's oldest lending libraries. George Washington
had given a speech at the Touro Synagogue extolling the virtues of freedom of worship and that the Jews were allowed to live and worship freely in the United States. This speech has often been referenced by American Jews to show gratitude and admiration for living in the United States.
Newport plays host to a number of festivals during the summer months, including the Newport Jazz Festival
, the Sunset Music Festival, the Newport Folk Festival
(where Bob Dylan
infamously "went electric" in 1965
), the Newport International Film Festival
, and the Newport International Boat Show.
is a public beach located on Ocean Drive. Newport's two private beaches, Bailey's Beach
(Spouting Rock Beach Association), and Hazard's Beach, are each exclusive and located on Ocean Drive
.
The Newport Cliff Walk is considered one of the most popular attractions in the city. It is a 3.5 miles (5.6 km) public access walkway bordering the shoreline, and has been designated a National Recreation Trail
.
Brenton Point State Park is home to the annual Brenton Point Kite Festival. Newport is also home to the Newport Country Club. The historical club has played host to the 2007 Women's US Open and the 1995 Men's US Amateurs. Fort Adams
, an historical fort dating back to the War of 1812 houses the Museum of Yachting and hosts both the Newport Folk Festival
and the Newport Jazz Festival
annually.
For many years Newport was home to the series of yacht races for the America's Cup
.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame
is also located in Newport. The Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, a men's ATP Tour event, is held every year in early July, the week following Wimbledon. The week also includes annual enshrinements into the Hall of Fame.
, Japan Kinsale
, Ireland Ponta Delgada
, Portugal Imperia, Italy Skiathos
, Greece Saint John (New Brunswick)
, Canada La Rochelle, France
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island, located in the state of Rhode Island, is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. The island's official name is Rhode Island, and the common use of name "Aquidneck Island" helps distinguish the island from the state. The total land area is 97.9 km²...
in Newport County
Newport County, Rhode Island
-National protected areas:* Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge* Touro Synagogue National Historic Site-History:Newport County was constituted on June 22, 1703, as one of the two original counties of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. As originally established, Newport...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, about 30 miles (48.3 km) south of Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University is a university in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the university is a Catholic, co-educational, private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of Rhode Island in 1934. In 1947 the university acquired Ochre Court and welcomed its first class...
and Naval Station Newport
Naval Station Newport
The Naval Station Newport is a United States Navy base located in the towns of Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School...
which houses the United States Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center
Naval Undersea Warfare Center
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons systems associated with undersea warfare...
, and a major United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
training center. A major 18th century port city, Newport now contains among the highest number of surviving colonial buildings of any city in the United States. The city is the county seat of Newport County
Newport County, Rhode Island
-National protected areas:* Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge* Touro Synagogue National Historic Site-History:Newport County was constituted on June 22, 1703, as one of the two original counties of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. As originally established, Newport...
(a county that no longer has any governmental functions other than court administrative and sheriff corrections boundaries). Newport was known for being the city of some of the "Summer White Houses
Summer White Houses
A "Summer White House" is typically the name given to the regular vacation residence of the sitting President of the United States aside from Camp David, the mountain-based military camp in Frederick County, Maryland, used as a country retreat and for high-alert protection of Presidents and their...
" during the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
and John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. The population was 24,672 at the 2010 census.
Colonial period
Nicholas Easton
Nicholas Easton was an early colonial President and Governor of Rhode Island. Born in Hampshire, England, he lived in the towns of Lymington and Romsey before immigrating to New England with his two sons in 1634. Once in the New World, he lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony towns of Ipswich,...
, William Coddington
William Coddington
William Coddington was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving as the Judge of Portsmouth, Judge of Newport, Governor of Portsmouth and Newport, Deputy Governor of the entire colony, and then Governor of the...
, John Clarke
John Clarke (1609-1676)
John Clarke was a medical doctor, Baptist minister, co-founder of the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, author of its influential charter, and a leading advocate of religious freedom in the Americas....
, John Coggeshall
John Coggeshall
John Coggeshall was one of the founders of Rhode Island and the first President of all four towns in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Coming from Essex, England as a successful merchant in the silk trade, Coggeshall arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1632 and quickly...
, William Brenton
William Brenton
William Brenton was a colonial President, Deputy Governor, and Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and an early settler of Portsmouth and Newport in the Rhode Island colony...
, Jeremy Clark
Jeremy Clarke (Governor)
Jeremy Clarke was an early colonial settler and President of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations...
, Thomas Hazard, and Henry Bull
Henry Bull (Governor)
Henry Bull was an early colonial Governor of Rhode Island, serving for two separate terms, one before and one after the tenure of Edmund Andros under the Dominion of New England...
, who left Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
after a political fallout with Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was one of the most prominent women in colonial America, noted for her strong religious convictions, and for her stand against the staunch religious orthodoxy of 17th century Massachusetts...
and her followers. As part of the agreement, Coddington and his followers took control of the southern side of the island. They were soon joined by Nicholas Easton, who had recently been expelled from Massachusetts for holding heretical beliefs. The settlement soon grew to be the largest of the four original towns of Rhode Island. Many of the first colonists in Newport quickly became Baptists, and in 1640 the second Baptist congregation in Rhode Island was formed under the leadership of John Clarke.
Peace did not last long in Newport, as many did not like Coddington's autocratic style. As a result, by 1650 a counter faction led by Nicholas Easton was formed. The Coddington/Easton divide would dominate Newport politics for much of the 17th century. Newport soon grew to become the most important port in colonial Rhode Island. A public school was established in 1640.
In 1658 a group of Jews fleeing the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
in Spain and Portugal were allowed to settle in Newport (Jews fleeing Brazil after defending Dutch interests there against the Portuguese were denied the right to stay in then-Dutch New York until governor Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant , served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York...
finally relented in 1655; seeking asylum in Spain and Portugal was not an option). The Newport congregation, now referred to as Congregation Jeshuat Israel, is the second oldest Jewish congregation in the United States and meets in the oldest standing synagogue in the United States, Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue
The Touro Synagogue is a 1763 synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States,the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America, and the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S...
.
In 1663 the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
received its Royal Charter and Benedict Arnold (1615–1678) was elected its first Governor at Newport. The town remained the capital until Rhode Island became the 13th state of the Union in 1790, at which time the capital was moved to Providence.
The beginning of the commercial activity which raised Newport to its fame as a rich port was begun by a second wave of Portuguese Jews who settled there about the middle of the 18th century. They had been practicing Judaism in secret for three hundred years in Portugal, liable to torture and murder by the Inquisition if they were caught, and were attracted to Rhode Island because of the freedom of worship there. They brought with them commercial experience and connections, capital and a spirit of enterprise. Most prominent among those were Jacob Rodrigues Rivera (died 1789), who arrived in 1745, and Aaron Lopez
Aaron Lopez
Aaron Lopez , born Duarte Lopez, was a Jewish merchant and philanthropist. He became the wealthiest person in Newport, Rhode Island, in British America. In 1761 and 1762, Lopez unsuccessfully sued the Colony of Rhode Island for citizenship....
, who came in 1750. The former introduced into America the manufacture of sperm oil, which became one of the leading industries and made Newport rich. Newport, whose inhabitants were engaged in whale fishing, developed 17 manufactories of oil and candles and enjoyed a practical monopoly of this trade down to the Revolution.
Aaron Lopez
Aaron Lopez
Aaron Lopez , born Duarte Lopez, was a Jewish merchant and philanthropist. He became the wealthiest person in Newport, Rhode Island, in British America. In 1761 and 1762, Lopez unsuccessfully sued the Colony of Rhode Island for citizenship....
(died May 28, 1782), who fled to Newport from Lisbon in 1752, is credited with making Newport an important center of trade. "To him in a larger degree than to any one else was due the rapid commercial development which made Newport for a quarter of a century afterward the most formidable rival of New York." He induced 40 Portuguese Jewish families to settle there. Within fourteen years of Lopez’ activity, Newport had 150 vessels engaged in trade. Lopez was involved in the slave trade, manufactured spermaceti candles, ships, barrels, rum, chocolate, textiles, clothes, shoes, hats, and bottles. He became the wealthiest man in Newport, but was denied citizenship on religious grounds, even though British law protected the rights of Jews to become citizens. He appealed to the Rhode Island legislature for redress and was refused with this ruling: “Inasmuch as the said Aaron Lopez hath declared himself by religion a Jew, this Assembly doth not admit himself nor any other of that religion to the full freedom of this Colony. So that the said Aaron Lopez nor any other of said religion is not liable to be chosen into any office in this colony nor allowed to give vote as a free man in choosing others.” Lopez persisted by applying for citizenship in Massachusetts, where it was granted.
Much of the commercial activity was centered on the area called Washington Square, which was once the center of both the commercial and civic life of the colonial city.
In the early 17th century, a large number of Quakers also settled in Newport. The evidence of this population can be seen today in the fact that many streets in the oldest part of town known as "The Point
Easton's Point
The Point is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Newport, Rhode Island and has one of the highest concentrations of colonial houses in the United States. The neighborhood sits between Washington Street and Farewell Street/America's Cup in Newport looking out on Goat Island, former home to the U.S...
", are named after trees. The Quaker meetinghouse
Great Friends Meeting House
Great Friends Meeting House is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends built in 1699 in Newport, Rhode Island. The meeting house, which is part of the Newport Historic District, is currently open as a museum owned by the Newport Historical Society...
in Newport (1699) is the oldest house of worship in Rhode Island. In 1727, James Franklin (brother of Benjamin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
) was printing in Newport; in 1732, he published the first newspaper, the Rhode Island Gazette. In 1758, his son James founded the Mercury, a weekly paper. Throughout the 18th century the famous Goddard and Townsend
Goddard and Townsend
The Goddard and Townsend families of Newport lend their name to an extensive body of New England furniture associated with Newport, Rhode Island in the second half of the 18th century.-Family of Artisans:...
furniture was made in Newport.
Throughout the 18th century, Newport suffered from an imbalance of trade with the largest colonial ports. As a result, Newport merchants were forced to develop alternatives to conventional exports.
Thomas Tew
Thomas Tew , also known as the Rhode Island Pirate, was a 17th century English privateer-turned-pirate. Although he embarked on only two major piratical voyages, and met a bloody death on the latter journey, Tew pioneered the route which became known as the Pirate Round. Many other famous pirates,...
. Tew was very popular with the locals; after one of his pirating voyages, it was reported that almost the whole town came out to greet him.
In the 1720s, colonial leaders, acting under pressure from the British government, arrested many pirates. Many were hanged in Newport and were buried on Goat Island.
During the colonial period, Newport was the center of the slave trade in New England. Newport was active in the “triangle trade,” in which slave-produced sugar and molasses from the Caribbean were carried to Rhode Island and distilled into rum, which was then carried to West Africa and exchanged for captives. In 1764, Rhode Island had about 30 rum distilleries, 22 in Newport alone. Many of the great fortunes made during this period were made in the slave trade. The Common Burial Ground on Farewell Street was where most of the slaves were buried. Sixty percent of slave trading voyages launched from North America – in some years more than 90% – issued from tiny
Rhode Island, many from Newport. Almost half were trafficked illegally, breaking a 1787 state law prohibiting residents of the state from trading in slaves. Slave traders were also breaking federal statutes of 1794 and 1800 barring Americans from carrying slaves to
ports outside the United States, and the 1807 Congressional act abolishing the transatlantic slave trade. A few Rhode Island families made substantial fortunes in the trade. William
William Vernon
William Vernon , of Newport, Rhode Island, was a New England trader who played a leading role in the Continental Congress' maritime activities during the American Revolution...
and Samuel Vernon, Newport merchants who later played an important role in financing the creation of the United States Navy, sponsored thirty African slaving ventures. However, it was the D’Wolfs of Bristol, RI, and most notably James De Wolf
James De Wolf
James DeWolf , nicknamed "Captain Jim", was a United States Senator from Rhode Island, a long-time state legislator and a successful Privateer during the war of 1812.-Biography:...
, who were the largest slave trading family in all of North America, mounting more than eighty transatlantic voyages, most illegal. The Rhode Island slave trade was broadly based. Seven hundred Rhode Islanders owned or captained slave ships, including most substantial merchants, and many ordinary shopkeepers and tradesmen, who purchased shares in slaving voyages,
American Revolutionary era
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
, William Ellery, came from Newport. He later served on the Naval Committee.
In the winter of 1775 and 1776, the Rhode Island Legislature put militia General William West in charge of rooting out loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
in Newport, and several notable individuals such as Joseph Wanton
Joseph Wanton
Joseph Wanton was a merchant and governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1769 to 1775. Not wanting to go to war with Britain, he has been branded as a Loyalist, but he remained neutral during the war, and he and his property were not disturbed.Born in Newport of a...
and Thomas Vernon
Thomas Vernon
Thomas Vernon was a landowner and Member of Parliament in eighteenth century England. He was the only son of Bowater Vernon , who inherited Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire and large estates in Hanbury and elsewhere, from his second cousin Thomas Vernon who had died childless...
were exiled to the northern part of the state. In the fall of 1776, the British, seeing that Newport could be used as a naval base to attack New York (which they had recently occupied) took over the city. The population of Newport had divided loyalties and many pro independence "Patriots" left town while loyalist "Tories" remained. For the next three years Newport was a British stronghold.
In the summer of 1778, the Americans began the campaign known as the Battle of Rhode Island
Battle of Rhode Island
The Battle of Rhode Island, also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill and the Siege of Newport, took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and militia forces under the command of General John Sullivan were withdrawing to the northern part of Aquidneck Island after abandoning their siege of...
. This was the first joint operation between the Americans and the French after the signing of the Treaty of Alliance
Treaty of Alliance (1778)
The Treaty of Alliance, also called The Treaty of Alliance with France, was a defensive alliance between France and the United States of America, formed in the midst of the American Revolutionary War, which promised military support in case of attack by British forces indefinitely into the future...
. The Americans based in Tiverton, planned a formal siege of the town. However, the French (wanting a frontal assault) refused to take part in the siege. This weakened the American position and the British were able to expel the Americans from the island. The following year, the British, wanting to concentrate their forces in New York, abandoned Newport.
On July 10, 1780, a French expedition
Expédition Particulière
Expédition Particulière was the code name given by the French government for the plan to sail French land forces to North America to support the American rebel forces against Britain in the American Revolutionary War. In English they were known as the Special Expedition.The expedition of 5,000...
sent by King Louis XVI commanded by Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
arrived with an army of 450 officers and 5,300 men in Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
off Newport. For the rest of the war Newport was the base of the French forces in the United States. In July 1781, Rochambeau was finally able to leave Newport for Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
to begin the decisive march to Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place in York County, Virginia, United States. The population was 220 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1634....
along with General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. The first Catholic mass in Rhode Island was said in Newport during this time. Rochambeau Monument
Rochambeau Monument (Newport, RI)
Rochambeau Statue and Memorial is a monument to French nobleman and General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, who was a key commander of the French forces who assisted the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
in Kings Park on Wellington Avenue along Newport Harbor commemorates Rochambeau's contributions to the Revolutionary War and to Newport's history.
By the time the war ended (1783) Newport's population had fallen from over 9,000 (according to the census of 1774) to less than 4,000. Over 200 abandoned buildings were torn down in the 1780s. Also, the war destroyed Newport's economic wealth, as years of military occupation closed the city to any form of trade. The Newport merchants moved away, some to Providence, others to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and New York.
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Senate with 38 senators...
, acting under pressure from the merchant community of Providence, voted to ratify the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
and become the 13th state.
The city is the site of the last residence of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...
, the birthplace of Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the Reverend William Ellery Channing
William Ellery Channing
Dr. William Ellery Channing was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton, one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. He was known for his articulate and impassioned sermons and public speeches, and as a prominent thinker...
.
Gilded Age
Kingscote (mansion)
Kingscote is a Gothic Revival house museum in Newport, Rhode Island built in 1839. Kingscote was one of the first summer "cottages" constructed in Newport...
(1839). Around the middle of the century, wealthy Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
s such as the Wetmore family also began constructing larger mansions such as Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer is the first of the grand Bellevue Avenue mansions of the Gilded Age mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. It is now open to the public as a museum...
(1852) nearby. Most of these early families made a substantial part of their fortunes in the Old China Trade
Old China Trade
The Old China Trade was the name given to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghsia in 1844...
.
By the turn of the 20th century, many of the nation's wealthiest families were summering in Newport, including the Vanderbilts
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
, Astors
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
and Widener family
Widener family
The American Widener family of Peter Arrell Brown Widener and his wife Hannah Josephine Dunton were from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and were one of the wealthiest families in the United States...
who constructed the largest "cottages", such as The Breakers
The Breakers
The Breakers is a Vanderbilt mansion located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a National Historic Landmark, a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, and is owned and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport...
(1895) and Miramar
Miramar (mansion)
Miramar is a French neoclassical-style mansion on bordering Bellevue Avenue on Aquidneck Island at Newport, Rhode Island. Overlooking Rhode Island Sound, it was intended as a summer home for the George D. Widener family of Philadelphia...
. They came for a brief social season to grand, gilded mansions with elaborate receiving, dining, music and ballrooms, but with few bedrooms, since the guests were expected to have cottages of their own. Many of the homes were designed by the New York architect Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture...
, who himself kept a house in Newport.
The social scene at Newport is described in Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton , was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer.- Early life and marriage:...
's novel The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence is a novel by Edith Wharton published in 1920, which won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize. The story is set in upper-class New York City in the 1870s. In 1920, The Age of Innocence was serialized in four parts in the Pictorial Review magazine, and later released by D...
. Wharton's own Newport cottage was called Land's End. Today, many mansions continue in private use. Hammersmith Farm
Hammersmith Farm
Hammersmith Farm is a Victorian mansion and surrounding property located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States and was the childhood home to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. The property hosted the wedding reception of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy...
, the mansion from which Jackie Kennedy was married, was open to tourists as a 'house museum,' but has been purchased and reconverted into a private residence. Many other mansion remain open to tourists. Still others were converted into academic buildings for Salve Regina College in the 1930s when the owners could no longer afford their tax bills.
In the mid-19th century, a large number of Irish immigrants settled in Newport. The Fifth Ward of Newport (in the southern part of the city) became a staunch Irish neighborhood for many generations. To this day, St. Patrick's Day is an important day of pride and celebration in Newport, with a large parade going down Thames Street.
The oldest Catholic parish in Rhode Island, St. Mary's
St. Mary's Church Complex (Newport, Rhode Island)
St. Mary's Church Complex is a historic Roman Catholic church 14 William Street in Newport, Rhode Island.The parish congregation was founded in 1828. The current church building was constructed in 1848 by Patrick C. Keely. In 1953 Senator John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier were married at St....
is located on Spring Street, though the current building is not the original one.
Current era
Since the colonial era, Rhode Island would rotate its legislative sessions between Providence, Newport, Bristol, East Greenwich and Kingston and did not have a fixed capital. In 1854 the sessions in the cities other than Providence and Newport were eliminated and finally in 1900, Newport was dropped. A constitutional amendment that year restricted the meetings of the legislature to Providence. ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
was the only other state to have more than one capital at one time.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
were married in St. Mary's Church in Newport on September 12, 1953.
Presidents Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Eisenhower both made Newport the sites of their "Summer White Houses
Summer White Houses
A "Summer White House" is typically the name given to the regular vacation residence of the sitting President of the United States aside from Camp David, the mountain-based military camp in Frederick County, Maryland, used as a country retreat and for high-alert protection of Presidents and their...
" during their years in office. Eisenhower stayed at Quarters A at the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
, while Kennedy used Hammersmith Farm
Hammersmith Farm
Hammersmith Farm is a Victorian mansion and surrounding property located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States and was the childhood home to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. The property hosted the wedding reception of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy...
.
In the 20th century, immigrants from Portugal and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
began settling in Newport, adding to the rich diversity of the city.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. From 1952 to 1973, it hosted the Cruiser-Destroyer Force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
United States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, and subsequently it has from time to time hosted smaller numbers of warships. It held the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–65), when the undergraduate officer training school was temporarily moved north from Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. It remains home to the U.S. Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
and the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), the center of Surface Warfare Officer training, and a large division of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center
Naval Undersea Warfare Center
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons systems associated with undersea warfare...
. The decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
aircraft carrier is moored in an inactive status at the docks previously used by the Cruiser-Destroyer Force. The shared the pier until June 2010.
The departure of the Cruiser-Destroyer fleet from Newport and the closure of nearby Naval Air Station Quonset Point
Naval Air Station Quonset Point
Naval Air Station Quonset Point was a United States Naval Base in Quonset Point, Rhode Island that was deactivated in 1974. Next to NAS Quonset Point was Camp Endicott at Davisville, home of the Naval Construction Battalions known as the Seabees. Quonset Point also gave its name to the Quonset hut,...
in 1973 was devastating to the local economy. The population of Newport decreased, businesses closed, and property values plummeted. However, in the late 1960s, the city had begun revitalizing the downtown area with the construction of America's Cup Avenue, malls of stores and condominiums, and upscale hotels. Construction was completed on the Newport Bridge
Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge
The Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island , connecting the City of Newport on Aquidneck Island and the Town of Jamestown on...
. The Preservation Society of Newport County
Preservation Society of Newport County
The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private, non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode Island. It is Rhode Island's largest and most-visited cultural organization. The organization's mission is to preserve the architectural heritage of Newport County, Rhode Island, including...
began opening Newport's historic mansions to the public, and the tourist industry became Newport's primary commercial enterprise over the subsequent years.
Geography
Newport is located at 41°29′17"N 71°18′45"W.It is the largest city on Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island, located in the state of Rhode Island, is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. The island's official name is Rhode Island, and the common use of name "Aquidneck Island" helps distinguish the island from the state. The total land area is 97.9 km²...
in Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 11.5 square miles (29.8 km²), of which, 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²) of it is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) of it (30.86%) is water. The Newport Bridge
Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge
The Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island , connecting the City of Newport on Aquidneck Island and the Town of Jamestown on...
, the longest suspension bridge in New England, connects Newport to neighboring Conanicut Island
Conanicut Island
Conanicut Island is the second largest island in Narragansett Bay, in the state of Rhode Island. It is connected on the east to Newport, Rhode Island, on Aquidneck Island by the Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, and on the west to North Kingstown, Rhode Island, on the...
across the East Passage of the Narragansett.It is also home to the NFL's Newport,39ers(7-4).
Climate
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,899 people, 11,566 households, and 5,644 families residing in the city.The population density was 3,336.3 people per square mile (1,287.4/km²). There were 13,226 housing units at an average density of 1,666.7 per square mile (643.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.1% White, 7.8% African American, 0.85% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 2.41% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.5% of the population.
There were 11,566 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.3% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.2% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 14.6% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,669, and the median income for a family was $54,116. Males had a median income of $37,780 versus $27,492 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,441. About 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line.
Culture
Newport Historic District (Rhode Island)
The Newport Historic District covers 250 acres in the center of that city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968 due to its extensive and well-preserved assortment of intact colonial buildings dating from the early and mid-18th century...
, one of three National Historic Landmark Districts in the city. Many of these homes were restored in the late 20th century through grants made by Newport resident Doris Duke
Doris Duke
Doris Duke was an American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist.-Family and early life:...
, as well as other local efforts such as Operation Clapboard. As a result, Newport's colonial heritage is well-preserved and documented at the Newport Historical Society
Newport Historical Society
The Newport Historical Society is a historical society in Newport, Rhode Island that was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport's history.-History of the Society:...
. In addition to the colonial architecture, the city is known for its Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
mansions, which have also received extensive restoration from both private owners and non-profits such as the Preservation Society of Newport County
Preservation Society of Newport County
The Preservation Society of Newport County is a private, non-profit organization based in Newport, Rhode Island. It is Rhode Island's largest and most-visited cultural organization. The organization's mission is to preserve the architectural heritage of Newport County, Rhode Island, including...
.
Another National Historic Landmark District, Bellevue Avenue
Bellevue Avenue Historic District
The Bellevue Avenue Historic District is located along and around Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. Its property is almost exclusively residential, including many of the mansions built by affluent summer vacationers in the city around the turn of the 20th century, including...
, is the home of the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
, where important tennis players are commemorated, as well as a number of mansions dating back to the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
, including The Breakers
The Breakers
The Breakers is a Vanderbilt mansion located on Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a National Historic Landmark, a contributing property to the Bellevue Avenue Historic District, and is owned and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport...
, Belcourt Castle
Belcourt Castle
Belcourt Castle is the former summer cottage of Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, located on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. Begun in 1891 and completed in 1894, it was intended to be used for only six to eight weeks of the year...
, Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer
Chateau-sur-Mer is the first of the grand Bellevue Avenue mansions of the Gilded Age mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. It is now open to the public as a museum...
, The Elms
The Elms (mansion)
The Elms is a large mansion, or "summer cottage", located at 367 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, in the United States. The Elms was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for the coal baron Edward Julius Berwind, and was completed in 1901. Its design was copied from the Château d'Asnières...
, Marble House
Marble House
Marble House is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum. It was designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt, and said to be inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles . Grounds were designed by noted landscape architect Ernest W...
, Rosecliff
Rosecliff
Rosecliff, built 1898-1902, is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum.The house has also been known as the Herman Oelrichs House or the J. Edgar Monroe House....
, Rough Point
Rough Point
Rough Point is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum. It is an English Manorial style home designed by architectural firm Peabody & Stearns for Frederick William Vanderbilt Construction on the red sandstone and granite began in 1887 and...
, and the William Watts Sherman House
William Watts Sherman House
The William Watts Sherman House is a notable house designed by American architect H. H. Richardson, with later interiors by Stanford White. The house is generally acknowledged as one of Richardson's masterpieces, and the prototype for what later became known as the Shingle Style in American...
. Some of these are open for guided tours.
With coastlines on the west, south and east, Newport is a maritime city. Its harbors teem with commercial fishing boats, power and sail pleasure craft. It is known as the sailing capitol of the United States. Many defenses by the New York Yacht Club
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. The organization has over 3,000 members as of 2011. ...
of the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
yachting prize took place here. Newport Country Club
Newport Country Club
Newport Country Club, founded in 1893, is a historic private golf club in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States that hosted both the first U.S. Amateur Championship and the first U.S...
was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
; it hosted the first U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
and the first U.S. Amateur, both held in 1895. The Newport Country Club
Newport Country Club
Newport Country Club, founded in 1893, is a historic private golf club in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States that hosted both the first U.S. Amateur Championship and the first U.S...
hosted the 1995 U.S. Amateur Open, made notable by Tiger Woods' second of three consecutive wins of said Open. In June 2006, the city hosted the U.S. Women's Open. In June it also hosts the annual Campbell's Hall of Fame Championships tennis tournament as part of the ATP Tour (it is traditionally the last grass court event of the season). Each August the International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup
International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup
The International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup is a professional tennis tournament which is part of the Outback Champions Series. It was formerly known as the Gibson Guitars Champions Cup. The 2008 event will take place August 13-17, 2008, in Newport, Rhode Island, hosted by the International...
is held; this event is part of the Outback Champions Series
Outback Champions Series
The Outback Champions Series is a series of tennis tournaments designed for former members of the ATP tour. The Outback Champions Series consists of tournaments played in select markets where legends of the sport compete in a highly competitive, fan friendly, round robin format with a champion...
.
Newport Gulls
The Newport Gulls are a wooden-bat, summer collegiate baseball team based in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Gulls Baseball Club is a member of both the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the NECBL's East Division. From 2001 to the present, the Gulls have played at Cardines...
baseball team of the NECBL. The city hosted the 2005 NECBL All-Star Game at Cardines Field
Cardines Field
Cardines Field, "a small urban gem of a ballpark" is a baseball stadium located at 20 America’s Cup Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. It is believed to be one of the oldest ballparks in the United States. The field serves as a buffer between the residential and commercial sections of an older part...
, which, originally built in 1908, is one of the oldest active baseball parks in the country.
The Gulls, the historic Sunset League
George Donnelly Sunset League
The George Donnelly Sunset League plays its games at Cardines Field in Newport, Rhode Island. Play began in 1919 when the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad gave permission to a group of its employees to establish the Sunset League. The Sunset League is so named because games begin at 5:30...
, and other teams attract thousands of fans to Cardines weekly throughout the summer. Directly up West Marlborough Street from the ballpark is the White Horse Tavern
White Horse Tavern (Rhode Island)
The White Horse Tavern, constructed before 1673 in Newport, Rhode Island, is one of the oldest tavern buildings in the United States. It is located on the corner of Farewell and Marlborough streets in Newport.-History:...
, built prior to 1673, and considered to be one of the oldest surviving tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
s in the US.
Newport is also home to the Newport Tower, Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University is a university in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the university is a Catholic, co-educational, private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of Rhode Island in 1934. In 1947 the university acquired Ochre Court and welcomed its first class...
, Hammersmith Farm
Hammersmith Farm
Hammersmith Farm is a Victorian mansion and surrounding property located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States and was the childhood home to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. The property hosted the wedding reception of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy...
, Prescott Farm
Prescott Farm
Prescott Farm is a historic preservation of a colonial farm in Middletown , Rhode Island. It spans 40 acres, and was in danger of demolition before Doris Duke, through the Newport Restoration Foundation bought it in 1973 and began restoration of the historical site. Notable features of it include...
, and the Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue
The Touro Synagogue is a 1763 synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States,the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America, and the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S...
, one of the oldest Jewish houses of worship in the Western hemisphere, as well as the Newport Public Library
Newport Public Library
The Newport Public Library, established in 1869 as “The People’s Library of Newport,” is dedicated to serving the people of Newport and the surrounding communities by “providing opportunities that support lifelong learning, encourage inspiration, imagination and enjoyment, and connect people to...
, Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Redwood Library and Athenaeum
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a private subscription library at 50 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island. Founded in 1747, it is the oldest community library still occupying its original building in the United States.-History:...
, one of the nation's oldest lending libraries. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
had given a speech at the Touro Synagogue extolling the virtues of freedom of worship and that the Jews were allowed to live and worship freely in the United States. This speech has often been referenced by American Jews to show gratitude and admiration for living in the United States.
Newport plays host to a number of festivals during the summer months, including the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
, the Sunset Music Festival, the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
(where Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
infamously "went electric" in 1965
Electric Dylan controversy
By 1965, Bob Dylan had achieved the status of leading songwriter of the American folk music revival.Paul Simon suggested that Dylan's early compositions virtually took over the folk genre: "[Dylan's] early songs were very rich ... with strong melodies. 'Blowin' in the Wind' has a really strong...
), the Newport International Film Festival
Newport International Film Festival
Newport International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Newport, Rhode Island, established in 1998 .The Newport Film Festival was generally held the first week in June and featured various international films at several local cinemas...
, and the Newport International Boat Show.
Outdoor activities
Aquidneck Island is home to many beaches, public and private. In Newport, the largest public beach, Easton's beach, or First Beach, has a view of the famed Cliff Walk. Sachuest Beach, or Second Beach, in Middletown is the second largest beach in the area. Gooseberry BeachGooseberry Beach
Gooseberry Beach is a beach located in Newport, Rhode Island off Ocean Drive. It is a private beach, but also open to the public. The beach is located between Bailey's Beach and Hazard's Beach....
is a public beach located on Ocean Drive. Newport's two private beaches, Bailey's Beach
Bailey's Beach
Bailey's Beach is an elite private beach and club in Newport, Rhode Island.-History:Bailey's Beach in Newport Rhode Island was:...
(Spouting Rock Beach Association), and Hazard's Beach, are each exclusive and located on Ocean Drive
Ocean Drive Historic District
The Ocean Drive Historic District covers the long street of the same name along the southern shore of Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1976....
.
The Newport Cliff Walk is considered one of the most popular attractions in the city. It is a 3.5 miles (5.6 km) public access walkway bordering the shoreline, and has been designated a National Recreation Trail
National Recreation Trail
National Recreation Trail is a designation given to existing trails that contribute to health, conservation, and recreation goals in the United States. Over 1,000 trails in all 50 U.S. states, available for public use and ranging from less than a mile to in length, have been designated as NRTs...
.
Brenton Point State Park is home to the annual Brenton Point Kite Festival. Newport is also home to the Newport Country Club. The historical club has played host to the 2007 Women's US Open and the 1995 Men's US Amateurs. Fort Adams
Fort Adams
Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island, was established on July 4, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification. Its first commander was Captain John Henry who was later instrumental in starting the War of 1812.-History:...
, an historical fort dating back to the War of 1812 houses the Museum of Yachting and hosts both the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
and the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
annually.
For many years Newport was home to the series of yacht races for the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
is also located in Newport. The Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, a men's ATP Tour event, is held every year in early July, the week following Wimbledon. The week also includes annual enshrinements into the Hall of Fame.
Schools
- Elementary Schools: Coggeshall School, Cranston- Calvert School, Sullivan School, Underwood School, St Michael's Country Day School, St. Joseph of Cluny Sisters' School.
- Secondary Schools: Portsmouth Abbey SchoolPortsmouth Abbey SchoolPortsmouth Abbey School is a private, coeducational boarding and day school for grades 9 through 12, located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Founded by the Benedictine monks of Portsmouth Abbey in 1926 as Portsmouth Priory School, the school offered a classical education to boys...
(Portsmouth), St. George's SchoolSt. George's School, NewportSt. George's School is a private, Episcopal, coeducational boarding school in Middletown, Rhode Island, USA, just east of the city of Newport. The school was founded in 1896 by the Rev. John Byron Diman, a member of a prominent Rhode Island family. It sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean...
(Middletown), Thompson Middle School, Rogers High SchoolRogers High School (Newport, Rhode Island)Rogers High School is the only public high school in Newport, Rhode Island.-History:The school was founded by educator William Sanford Rogers in 1873 and was named for him. The original Rogers High School building was on Church Street. The school moved to a building Broadway in 1905 and the old...
, Newport Area Career and Technical Center, Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center. - Post Secondary Schools: U.S. Naval Academy Prep School, Salve Regina UniversitySalve Regina UniversitySalve Regina University is a university in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the university is a Catholic, co-educational, private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of Rhode Island in 1934. In 1947 the university acquired Ochre Court and welcomed its first class...
, Naval War CollegeNaval War CollegeThe Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
, International Yacht Restoration School, Community College of Rhode IslandCommunity College of Rhode IslandThe Community College of Rhode Island, commonly abbreviated as "CCRI", is the only community college in Rhode Island. It was founded as Rhode Island Junior College, "RIJC", in 1964 with 325 students studying on the former Knight Estate. Today CCRI consists of six campuses and enrolls over 16,000...
Newport Campus, and the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS)
Sister cities
ShimodaShimoda, Shizuoka
is a city and port in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 25,054 and a population density of 242 persons per square kilometer...
, Japan Kinsale
Kinsale
Kinsale is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and...
, Ireland Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...
, Portugal Imperia, Italy Skiathos
Skiathos
Skiathos is a small Greek island in the northwest Aegean Sea. Skiathos is the westernmost island in the Northern Sporades group, east of the Pelion peninsula in Magnesia on the mainland, and west of the island of Skopelos.-Geography:...
, Greece Saint John (New Brunswick)
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, Canada La Rochelle, France
See also
- Buildings and structures in Newport, Rhode Island
- List of newspapers in Rhode Island in the 18th century: Newport
Further reading
- S. G. Arnold, History of the State of Rhode Island, (two volumes, New York, (1859–60)
- G. C. Mason, Reminiscences of Newport, (Newport, 1884)
- E. M. Stone, Our French Allies, (Providence, 1884)
- Newport History, the journal of the Newport Historical SocietyNewport Historical SocietyThe Newport Historical Society is a historical society in Newport, Rhode Island that was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport's history.-History of the Society:...
- C.P.B. Jefferys, Newport: A Short History (1992)
- Newport Mansions: Postcards of the Gilded Age, Schiffer Publishing
External links
- City of Newport homepage
- Class and Leisure at America's First Resort: Newport 1870–1914 from American Studies at the University of Virginia