RI Historical Society -- May Programs and Events

Through the Spring until July 2nd
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Aldrich House
110 Benevolent Street, Providence
For more information: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org
 
Exhibit: Rhode Island in the Time of Lincoln
The Rhode Island Historical Society continues to celebrate the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth with an exhibit that takes a look at life in Rhode Island during the 1860s. Though Lincoln made only two stops in RI, they were widely attended and remembered. But what did the Rhode Island that Lincoln visited look like? Rhode Island in the Time of Lincoln will remain on exhibit Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. through the spring. Admission is free. Thank you to the exhibit’s sponsors: The Rhode Island Foundation and the Rhode Island Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

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Thursday, May 7, 6:30 p.m.
Rhode Island Historical Society Library
121 Hope Street, Providence
Free Admission, To R.S.V.P.: Lee Teverow
(401) 273-8107 x10 or lteverow@rihs.org
 
Lecture: Flesh and Stone: Ruins and the Civil War
Megan Kate Nelson, a New England Regional Fellowship Consortium Research Award recipient, will discuss her book project, Ruin Nation: The Destruction of the South and the Making of America during the Civil War Era. Nelson will explain how and why Americans destroyed southern cities, plantations, forests, and men, and how both soldiers and civilians responded to these different kinds of ruins. She will also talk about the challenges of investigating the environmental history of the Civil War, and the importance that letters and diaries of New Englanders play in her research. Nelson received her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Iowa and is Assistant Professor of History at California State University, Fullerton.

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Wednesday, May 13, 12:00 noon
Free, Contact: Barbara Barnes
(401) 273-7507 x62 or bbarnes@rihs.org
 
Downcity Alive! Spring Has Sprung Downcity!
Join us on 45-minute noon time walks sponsored by the Providence Foundation and Rhode Island Historical Society that are free and open to all! They are discovery tours for those who work, shop and walk downtown at lunch time. Today, come find out what the summer has in store and what's new on Westminster and Weybosset Streets.

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Thursday, May 21, 7:00 p.m.
Gallery Night
John Brown House Museum
52 Power Street, Providence
Free Admission, To R.S.V.P.: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org

If These Walls Could Talk … Man with a Horn: Cornetist Bobby Hackett
Come celebrate the life and music of Rhode Island’s own jazzman Bobby Hackett with a retrospective on his decades-long career. Dr. Steven Kane will lead this tribute presentation, which includes some examples of Hackett’s recorded works. Dr. Kane is a practicing psychotherapist in Providence, and is also a professional swing pianist, jazz educator, and keyboard teacher.

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Saturday, May 23, 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $10
To R.S.V.P.: Barbara Barnes
(401) 273-7507 x62 or bbarnes@rihs.org
 
Gallery Night in the Light of Saturday: East Side
Join us on these walking tours offered by Gallery Night Providence and the Rhode Island Historical Society. Let the fun you had on Gallery Night continue during the weekend. On the Saturday after Gallery Night in May, June and July, walk with a tour guide who knows the neighborhood and an artist who knows the galleries and the art. Learn more about the Providence art scene. After the tour, linger awhile. Explore the neighborhood; find a great cafe for coffee and conversation; stay for dinner. Maps and local information provided. All tours begin at 1 p.m. at a specific neighborhood location to be announced. Tickets are $10/person. Reservations are requested.

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Saturday, May 30, 10:00 a.m.
Tour departs from the
John Brown House Museum
52 Power Street, Providence
To R.S.V.P.: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org
 
African-American History Walking Tours
These walking tours celebrate the history of African Americans who lived on College Hill from 1701 to the present. Ray Rickman, a well known community leader, will lead a lively discussion and offer his perspective on the people and historic buildings of Providence's oldest neighborhood. Tickets are $10 per person; tour lasts about ninety minutes. Reservations are required.