Timeline of Newport, Rhode Island explained

Timeline of Newport, Rhode Island.

17th century

• 1639 - William Coddington settles.
• 1643 - First Society of Friends established (approximate date).
• 1644
  • Newport becomes part of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
  • Name changed from Aquidneck
  • United Baptist Church founded.
• 1647 - Friends' Burial Ground established.
• 1654 - Thames Street laid out.
• 1656 - Second Baptist Church established.
• 1663 - Easton's windmill built.
• 1673 - White Horse Tavern enlarged into a tavern.
• 1675 - Clifton Burying Ground established.
• 1677
  • Jewish Cemetery dedicated.
  • Stone mill in operation (approximate date).
• 1681 - Custom-house established.
• 1690 - Town House built.
• 1695 - First Congregational Church established.
• 1696 — The first recorded slave ship, the "Sea Flower," arrives in Newport carrying 47 captives, 14 of whom are sold in Newport.
• 1697 - Mumford house (residence) built (approximate date).
• 1699 - Great Friends Meeting House built.

18th century

• Early 1700s — Newport becomes a major hub of the triangular slave trade
• 1703 - Fort built on Goat Island (approximate date).
• 1705 - John Stevens stonecarving shop in business.
• 1723 - July 19: Pirates hanged on Gravelly point.
• 1726 - Trinity Church built.
• 1727 - James Franklin sets up printing press.
• 1730
  • Literary and Philosophical Society organized.
  • Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House built.^[1]
  • White Horse Tavern in business.
  • Population: 4,640.
• 1732 - Rhode Island Gazette newspaper begins publication.^[2]
• 1733 - Organ installed in Trinity Church.
• 1735 - Clarke Street Meeting House built.
• 1740 - January: Snow storm.
• 1741
  • State House built.
  • Artillery Company of Newport chartered.
• 1743 - Middletown separates from Newport.
• 1746 - Almshouse built.
• 1747 - Redwood Library established.
• 1749 - Lighthouse built.
• 1750 - Fire company organized.
• 1752
  • Marine society established.
  • Hunter's Dispensary in business.
• 1755 - Aaron Lopez (merchant) in business.^[3]
• 1758 - Newport Mercury newspaper begins publication.
• 1760 - Francis Malbone House and John Tillinghast House built.
• 1761
  • Jewish Club organized.
  • Douglass travelling theatre troupe performs.
• 1762 - Brick Market built.
• 1763 - Touro Synagogue and Granary built.
• 1764 - Shots fired at HMS St John.
• 1765
  • June: Demonstration against impressment.^[4]
  • August 27: Protest against Stamp Act.
• 1774 - Population: 9,209.
• 1776
  • December 8: British occupation begins.
  • Population: 5,229.
• 1778
  • August 29: Battle of Rhode Island
  • December: Snow storm.
• 1779 - October 25: British occupation ends.
• 1780
  • July 12: French troops arrive.
  • Charles Feke apothecary in business.
  • Clarke Cooke House built.
  • Free African Union Society founded^[5]
• 1781
  • March 6: George Washington visits Rochambeau in Newport.
  • French troops depart.
• 1784
  • City incorporated.
  • George Hazard becomes mayor.
  • Goat Island sold to U.S. military.
• 1787 - Town government resumes.
• 1788 - Brissot de Warville finds "houses falling to ruin and grass growing in the public square" and Population: "less than 6000".
• 1790
  • August 17: George Washington visits Newport.
  • Population: 6,716.
• 1792 - Newport Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers incorporated.
• 1799
  • Fort Adams built.
  • Yellow fever epidemic.

19th century

• 1803 - Newport National Bank incorporated.
• 1805 - First Methodist Episcopal Church established.
• 1810 - Spencer's variety store in business.
• 1811
  • Hammond's Circulating Library in business.^[6]
  • Samuel Whitehorne House built.
• 1814 - Sherman & Co. grocers in business.
• 1815 - September 23: Gale.
• 1819
  • Newport Asylum built on Coasters' Harbor Island.
  • Savings Bank of Newport incorporated.
• 1823 - Newport Harbor Lighthouse built.
• 1828 - Mechanics' Library established.
• 1831 - Newport Steam Factory built.
• 1832 - Cozzens carpet shop in business.
• 1833 - June 19: Andrew Jackson visits Newport.
• 1834 - Zion Episcopal Church built.
• 1835
  • Davis' Family Bakery in business.
  • Perry Cotton Mill built.
• 1837 - Coddington cotton mill built.
• 1838 - Armory built.
• 1839 - Kingscote (mansion) built.
• 1845
  • Ocean House hotel in business.
  • Old Colony Railroad begins
• 1846
  • The Newport Daily News begins publication.
  • First Baptist Church building and Van Zandt house constructed.
• 1847
  • Central Baptist Chursh established.
  • Hazard grocery and Langley & Bennett in business.
• 1851 - Beechwood (mansion) built.
• 1852
  • Street lighting by gas lamp begins (approximate date).
  • Chateau-sur-Mer (residence) built.
  • St. Mary's Church completed.
• 1853
  • City incorporated again.
  • Robert B. Cranston becomes mayor.
  • Church of the Holy Name of Mary built.
• 1854
  • Newport Historical Society and Newport Reading Room founded.
  • Sisters of Mercy convent built.
  • Lighthouse commissioned on Lime Rock.
• 1855 - Touro Park established.
• 1857 - United Congregational Church built.
• 1859 - August 23: Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of Newport.
• 1860 - Chepstow (mansion) built.
• 1861 - Kaull & Anthony grocers in business.
• 1862 - Nason upholstery in business.
• 1863 - School house built on Willow Street.
• 1864
  • Old Colony and Newport Railway begins operating.
  • Shiloh Baptist Church organized.
• 1865
• Newport Free Library and Reading Room established, first public library in Rhode Island.
• Young Men's Christian Organization formed with the goal to gather books for a library.
• Newport Light Infantry formed.^[7]
  • Scott grocery in business.
• 1866 - Atlantic House roller skating rink opens.^[8]
• 1867
  • Young Men's Christian Organization disbanded.
  • Newport Free Library and Reading Room Incorporated.^[9]
  • Frasch confectionery in business.
  • Opera house established.
• 1869
• People's Library Incorporated
  • U.S. Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island.
  • August: Ulysses S. Grant visits Newport.
• 1870
  • Rose Island Light built.
  • The People's Free Library, later the Newport Public Library opens at its new location on Thames Street on May 4 completing the merger with the Newport Free Library and Reading Room.^[10]
  • Newport & Wickford Railroad and Steamboat Company organized.
  • Population - 12,521.
• 1871 - Newport Manufacturing Company mill built.
• 1873
  • Newport Hospital opens.
  • Rogers High School founded.
• 1874 - Ward's Circulating Library in business.
• 1875 - Population: 14,028.
• 1876 - International Polo Cup match held.
• 1878
  • Young Men's Christian Association re-organized.
  • King & McLeod (dry goods) and Marshall & Flynn (printer) in business.
• 1880
  • Channing Memorial Church and Newport Casino built.
  • May 30: The League of American Wheelmen is formed in Newport^[11]
  • Population - 15,693.
• 1881
  • City water system authorized.
  • Newport Skating Rink opens.
  • Tennis tournament begins at Newport Casino.
  • Groff pharmacy in business.
• 1882
  • Couzens and Bull telephone exchange in business.
  • Free Chapel of St. John the Evangelist established.
  • Vinland Estate built.
• 1883 - Isaac Bell House built.
• 1884
  • Naval War College established.
  • July 4: Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of Newport.
• 1885
  • St. Joseph's Church established.
  • Morton Park established (approximate date).
  • Stone Tower restored.
• 1888 - Carr bookseller and Hass florist in business.
• 1889 - Electric trolley begins operating.
• 1890's - Bailey's Beach founded.
• 1891 - Rockhurst (residence) built.
• 1892 - Marble House, Ochre Court, and Rough Point built.
• 1893
  • Newport Country Club established.
  • Old Colony Railroad stops operations.
• 1894 - Belcourt Castle (residence) built.
• 1895 - National Open Golf Championship held at Newport Country Club.
  • The Breakers (residence) built.
• 1896 - St. George's School established near Newport.
• 1898 - Vernon Court (residence) built.
• 1899 - September 7: Automobile parade.
• 1900 - Rhode Island state capital relocates to Providence.

20th century

• 1901
• - The Elms (residence) built.
• - TJ Brown in business.
• 1902 - Newport Historical Society Museum building and Oelrichs House constructed.
• 1905
  • Civic League formed.
  • Population: 25,039.
• 1908 - Cardines Field baseball stadium is opened.
• 1910 - Population: 27,149.
• 1912 - Art Association of Newport organized.^[12]
• 1915 - Miramar (mansion) built.
• 1919
  • Seamen's Church Institute founded.^[13]
  • U.S. Navy sex scandal.
• 1923 - Rhode Island Route 114 designated.
• 1925 - Seaview Terrace (residence) built.
• 1926 - Hotel Viking (hotel) opens.
• 1926 - Courthouse built on Washington Square.
• 1930 - America's Cup yacht race relocates to Newport.
• 1934 - Salve Regina University chartered.
• 1937 - Population: 27,612.
• 1938 - September: Hurricane.
• 1942 - Naval Academy Preparatory School relocates to Newport.
• 1946 - United Baptist Church established.
• 1948 - WADK radio (1540 AM) begins broadcasting as WRJM. Call Letters changed to WADK in November 1953.
• 1950 - Naval Justice School relocates to Newport.
• 1953 - September 12: wedding of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier at St. Mary's Church.
• 1954
  • Newport Jazz Festival begins.
  • Tennis Hall of Fame established.
• 1959
  • Newport Folk Festival begins.
  • Rovensky Park established.
• 1960 - Population: 47,049.
• 1964 - Newport State Airport (Rhode Island) in operation.
• 1965
  • Fort Adams State Park established.
  • Folk singer Bob Dylan performs a controversial but influential electric folk-rock concert at the Newport Folk Festival.
• 1969
  • Newport Bridge opens.
  • Newport Folk Festival held for the final time before a 16-year hiatus.
• 1972 - Newport Jazz Festival moves to New York City
• 1976 - Brenton Point State Park established.
• 1978 - Naval War College Museum in operation.
• 1980 - Newport Rugby Football Club (Rhode Island) formed.
• 1981 - Newport Jazz Festival re-established at Fort Adams.
• 1983
  • New York Yacht Club loses the America's cup to the Royal Perth Yacht Club
  • Sail Newport established
• 1985 - Newport Folk Festival re-established at Fort Adams.
• 1993 - Yacht Restoration School founded.
• 1998
  • Newport International Film Festival begins.
  • SVF Foundation established (livestock preservation).
• 2000 - National Museum of American Illustration opens.

21st century

• 2004 - City website online (approximate date).^[14]
• 2010 - Population: 24,672.
• 2012 - October: Hurricane Sandy storm surge washes away large sections of the Cliff Walk^[15]
• 2014 - June: The Cliff Walk reopens after restoration following 2012's storm damage by Hurricane Sandy^[16]
• 2020 - March: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all dine-in restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and all gatherings of 25 or more are banned in Newport and across the state. This brings a halt to nearly all concerts, sports, and other events.^[17] Newport mansions are closed.^[18]
• 2022 - March: A 20-foot section of the Ciff Walk collapses near Narragansett Avenue and Webster Street and is closed^[19]

See also

• Newport history
• Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island

Bibliography

Published in the 18th-19th century

• • • • • • Book: Bibliotheca Americana . Joseph Sabin . Joseph Sabin . New York . 1881 . 13972268 . 13 . Newport, R.I. . https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofbook13sabi#page/318/mode/1up .
    • Newport (Rhode Island) . 17 . 1884 . . 1.
      • • Book: Industries and wealth of the principal points in Rhode Island . 1892 . Parsons . NY . https://books.google.com/books?id=PNYrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA254 . City of Newport. .

Published in the 20th century

• • Newport (Rhode Island) . 534 - 535 . 1910 . . 1.
    • • + Chronology
• The Archaeology of the Old Stone Mill in Newport, Rhode Island . William S. Godfrey, Jr. . American Antiquity . 17 . 2 . 120–129 . October 1951 . 277246. . 10.2307/277246 . 162235189 .
• Book: Trudy Ring and Robert M. Salkin . Americas . International Dictionary of Historic Places . 1995 . Routledge. 978-1-134-25930-4 . Newport . 471+ . https://books.google.com/books?id=zTL_AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA471 .

External links

• Works related to Newport, RI, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).
• Web site: Newport . Atlas of the Rhode Island Book Trade in the Eighteenth Century . 2010 . .

Notes and References

1. Web site: History of the NHS . Newport Historical Society . December 12, 2012.
2. Web site: US Newspaper Directory . Washington DC . Chronicling America . Library of Congress . December 12, 2012.
3. Aaron Lopez: Colonial Merchant of Newport . Bruce M. Bigelow . New England Quarterly . 4 . 4 . 757–776 . 1931 . 359587 . 10.2307/359587 . . 'And Don't Forget the Guinea Voyage': The Slave Trade of Aaron Lopez of Newport . Virginia Bever Platt . William and Mary Quarterly . 32 . 4 . 601–618 . 1975 . 1919556 . 10.2307/1919556 .
4. Jack Tar in the Streets: Merchant Seamen in the Politics of Revolutionary America . Jesse Lemisch . William and Mary Quarterly . 25 . 3 . 371–407 . July 1968 . 1921773 . 10.2307/1921773 .
5. Web site: The origins of the American Civil Rights Movement began right here in Rhode Island.... Rhode Island Black Heritage Society. 20 December 2017.
6. Web site: Hammond Collection . New York Society Library . December 12, 2012.
7. Web site: (Newport) . State Archives Catalog . September 30, 2015 . Rhode Island State Archives . State of Rhode Island .
8. Book: Stephen Van Dulken. Inventing the 19th Century: 100 Inventions that Shaped the Victorian Age. 2001. New York University Press. 978-0-8147-8810-3. registration.
9. Web site: American Libraries before 1876 . Davies Project . Princeton University . December 12, 2012.
10. Web site: Library History - Newport Public Library . 16 January 2019 .
11. News: Bicycle Riders at Newport . 4 May 2021 . The New York Times . 31 May 1880 . 1.
12. Book: American Art Annual . 1917 .
13. Web site: Seamen's Church Institute . December 12, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130220063323/http://seamensnewport.org/about-contact . February 20, 2013 .
14. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20040127061349/http://www.ci.newport.ri.us/ . City of Newport Home Page . 2004-01-27 . .
15. News: Flynn. Sean. Sandy: The Aftermath The damage is done Repairs to the Cliff Walk will cost the city about $2 million. 3 November 2015. NewportRI.com. 6 November 2012.
16. News: Burns. Frances. Tourists can once again traverse the Hurricane Sandy-damaged Cliff Walk in Newport, R.I.. 3 November 2015. UPI. 25 June 2015.
17. News: Miller . G. Wayne . Raimondo shutting dine-in restaurants, bars for 2 weeks; 'community spread' of virus now seen in R.I. . 22 March 2020 . The Providence Journal . 16 March 2020.
18. News: Gomersall . Jacqui . Newport mansions closing to visitors on Monday . 22 March 2020 . WPRI-12 . 15 March 2020.
19. News: Barrett . Scott . 'I'm not convinced it's done yet': Section of Cliff Walk in Newport closed after collapse . 15 April 2022 . Newport Daily News . 3 March 2022.