By Bonnie Neely, Reel Adventures Magazine
Nearly a million visitors a year tour Newport's incredible eleven mansions of the Gilded Age (around 1900,} a period when the magnates of the Industrial Revolution competed to out-build each other's summer homes. These world-renowned mansions are beautifully restored and maintained by the Newport Preservation Society. And on special display until November are the marvelous jewel and diamond collections of Doris Duke, the last heir to the Duke fortune and one of the foremost philanthropists responsible for the restoration of many of these mansions. The Duke diamond collection, valued at many millions of dollars, is displayed in Doris' home, Rough Point, until the collection will go on tour to other museums later this year.
But the best kept secret in Newport is the amazing National Historic Landmark District, which includes 200 buildings over 200 years old in amazing pristine condition, a true living history in which people actually live and conduct life and business today in the same buildings as they did in Colonial times. Children will enjoy learning about American history, vitally standing before them. It is like walking through their history books. Not only do families live in these original settlers homes, but they also put their money in the same bank, vote at the same courthouse, shop in the same shops, and can even use the 1776 map to get around on the streets, which still bear the same names!
Newport Historic Landmark District has more restored buildings from the Colonial times than any other place in America, including Williamsburg and Philadelphia! To be inside this living history we took Newport On Foot TM led by Anita Rafael, whose degree is in architectural history.
Quite humorous in her presentation, Anita has keen observation skills and an inquisitive mind which helped recreate not only the factual side of Colonial history in front of us, but also she helped us imagine the feelings and reactions of the original residents here. Children studying history will gain such insights into early days in the United States if they can take this three-hour walking tour, which can be booked at the Visitor Center.
Newport's National Historic Landmark District
In the late eighteenth century when these houses were built, there were neither house plans, nor architects for the average homes. The way of building the simple, two-story boxes was taught from father to son. Usually the homes were of wood shingles, and if the family got a little ahead financially, clapboards were added, sometimes over the shingles. Today you'll find this historic district quite colorful, with the homes painted in brilliant blue, green, and earth red hues which paint historians have determined faithfully match the rich colors of originals. White was more expensive then, thus only the door facades were white because they could be removed and taken to a new residence if the family relocated. Each homeowner tried to impress his neighbors by fancy door dressings.
In the 1700's Newport was one of the five most important cities in America, along with Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. As one of the first acts of the Revolution, 10,000 British troops occupied Newport and the wealthy citizens fled, leaving everything so as to return when the “little skirmish” was over. Only the fishermen and their families stayed.
Forty cords of wood were needed to heat one home each winter. The 1200 wood homes on the island quickly used up all the trees, but friendly Indians brought wood from the main land to trade with the settlers. However, this trade stopped with the occupation, and the Brits burned all the wood on the island. To try to stay warm they even burned the boards from the abandoned frame homes. But after two winters here these invaders decided it was too cold and left. In 1780 the French arrived and outnumbered the local residents two to one. George Washington met with the French leaders here to plan the strategy to win the war. You can see the house where it all happened at the corner of Clarke Street.
We learned about Historical Archeology, which is just paying attention to what is above ground and looking for clues. We learned how to identify which buildings are the oldest, how to tell if the streets still bear the original names so that you can use copies of earliest maps. Colonial and Revolutionary history buffs will want to tour the oldest militia building in America, chartered by King George II in 1742. It is still headquarters for a trained militia. In Colonial times Rhode Island had five capital cities! The beautiful old Provincial Capitol building dominates a beautiful green. One of the oldest churches, Trinity, is also here, re-built in 1720 after a fire, and the cemetery dates to the 1600's.
The Preservation Society of Newport is responsible for saving and restoring the history of this wonderful town. They spent a quarter million dollars to preserve the White Horse Tavern, where we stopped for a drink in this 1673 establishment. The bartender has lots of fascinating stories for his visitors.
Rhode Island was the first place in America to have true freedom of religion, which brought many Quakers, Jews, and Baptists here as settlers. The huge 1699 Quaker Meeting House still stands near the Tavern. These non-Puritans never tried to convert the Native Americans. In Touro Synagogue, designed by the renowned architect Peter Harrison and built in 1763, we learned a lot on a separate tour. There we saw framed a very important letter from George Washington, the earliest document to guarantee religious freedom in the United States. The red house on Broadway street is Newport's oldest house from 1630.
In the early 1900's Newport was a Navy base, and the homes and historic buildings were allowed to fall into disrepair. By the mid-twentieth century they were slums. In the 1960's some ladies formed Operation Clapboard and eventually were able to buy 60 of these homes to restore them and form the Historic District. Doris bought and restored 90 Historic District houses. These homes are maintained and rented to very carefully selected occupants today. Owners must be reverent of history, and their furniture must be antique and complementary to the living piece of history they occupy. There is a long waiting list of applicants who appreciate the history they might be fortunate enough to live.
© 2003 Bonita Productions, Inc.