Rhode Island Historical Society

The Rhode Island Historical Society (RIHS) was founded in 1822 and is the country's fourth oldest state historical society. Its museum and library holdings include 25,000 artifacts, 150,000 printed volumes, over 350,000 images, and over 6,000 manuscript collections. The Society is dedicated to preserving and sharing materials from Rhode Island's past, so that present and future generations can more fully comprehend their predecessors, their communities, and themselves. For more information about the RIHS, visit www.rihs.org.

August 2011 Walking Tours

Art & the City

Tuesdays and Fridays in August, 10:00 a.m., $10/person
Tour departs from the John Brown House at 52 Power Street
Rhode Island boasts one of the highest concentrations of visual artists in the country. Providence streets, parks, and the RiverWalk are full of public sculpture, some of which make fabulous "outdoor rooms." Join RIHS for a 90-minute tour exploring the stories of the art, artists, the Providence Art Club, the Rhode Island School of Design, Gallery Night Providence, and Waterfire. The RISD Museum will be closed during the month of August but Providence is a gallery en plein air.

Personally Providence: The Secret Life of War Memorials

Saturday, August 6, 10 a.m., $10/person
Tour departs from the John Brown House at 52 Power Street
Freelance writer, photographer and filmmaker, Patti Cassidy shares her passion for public sculpture - and war memorials in particular - on this 90-minute walking tour. The tour highlights WWI, WWII, and Korean War Memorials in Providence's Memorial Park. Cassidy focuses on how war memorials function as monuments of "frozen glory," looking to both their art and their history. She also draws attention to Providence's unique role in the construction of war memorials, with a discussion of the Gorham Foundry and the granite industry in Westerly.

"Roots": Downtown Providence

Thursday, August 11, 12:00 p.m., Free
Tour begins at the Arcade, 130 Westminster Street
The Rhode Island Historical Society and The Providence Foundation have partnered to offer 4 FREE downtown walking tours following a unique Providence 375 celebration theme: Hope (6/9), Freedom (7/14), Roots (8/11), and Ingenuity (9/8). Each sixty-minute tour begins on the steps of the Arcade, 130 Westminster Street.

Riverwalk: Before the Fires Are Lit

Saturday, August 13, 5:30 p.m., $10/person*
Tour departs from the John Brown House at 52 Power Street
Discover the winding history and continued importance of Providence's rivers! Urban outdoor sculpture and beautiful civic and commercial buildings of varied architectural styles provide the setting for stories of Providence's fabled past and dynamic present. This 60-minute walk shares the history of Rhode Island's capital city and the history of WaterFire. Presented in collaboration with WaterFire Providence.
*Reservations are requested. Please contact Barbara Barnes: (401) 273-7507 x 62 or bbarnes@rihs.org.

H.P. Lovecraft: A Literary Walking Tour

Saturday, August 20, 11:00 a.m.
Tour departs from the John Brown House at 52 Power Street
Celebrate the 121st birthday of America's master of the strange and macabre. Author of "The Thing on the Doorstep" and "The Call of Cthulhu," H.P. Lovecraft was born in Providence in 1890. Join RIHS on a walking tour which explores the College Hill neighborhood where Lovecraft drew literary inspiration and where he called home.

For more information about any of the walking tours listed above, contact Barbara Barnes: (401) 273-7507 x62 or bbarnes@rihs.org.