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Newport, founded in 1639, is as diverse as the beliefs and nationalities of its early settlers. Congregationalists, Quakers, Episcopalians, Baptists and Jews were seekers of religious tolerance. They lived and worked in a city that was more than a just a melting pot; it was also a busy harbor of maritime trade equal to the ports of Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Charleston. You will find picture postcards of these times at The Newport Postcard Museum. A natural extension of this influx of nationalities, its people and crafts were embodied in the arts and scrimshaw, finely crafted furniture, and native cuisine from the homelands and the spirit of dance and music. Quartets in a mahogany drawing room and fiddlers on street corners were common fare, along with the trades of fine silk and cotton batik, yacht design and building, landscape gardening, maritime research and fishing.
After the Revolution, the spirit of the times and the influx of culture and trade helped to define Newport as a resort community. The Irish, Italians, Scandinavians, Portuguese and people from the Philippines and Puerto Rico flocked to Newport. It became known as the Queen of Resorts in a Gilded Age.
People of great wealth built magnificent mansions in what is known today as America's Oldest Resort. Chinese traders and merchants from the South built the mansions—or cottages, as they were called—and the southern influence can be seen in the Gothic columns, the floor to ceiling French doors and the bay windows of these grand structures. The elite groups of people in these mansions were distinguished for the nature of their trade and wealth, including William Wetmore, the China trade merchant and owner of the Victorian Chateau-sur-Mer, known as the first Newport summer mansion and the birthplace of the Gilded Age. The presence of this kind of wealth and style of living presented society, on all levels, with the popular version of "The American Dream."
Another known mansion in use today for special events and parties is the Astors' Beechwood Mansion. It is said that society began in this ocean front mansion located on Bellevue Avenue. This splendid home consists of a receiving room, foyer, morning and afternoon room, ballroom, dining room and veranda. The grandeur of these mansions was reflected in the flamboyant personalities who lived in them. Mrs. Carolyn Astor, the belle of Newport and society at large, created the first American social register, "The 400." She was the mother of John Jacob Astor IV, who died on the RMS Titanic. Beechwood offers a Victorian Living History Museum and a tour guided by the members of the Beechwood Theatre Company.
Another historic site in Newport is the Newport Colony House; the old statehouse, built in 1736 or 1739, is one of four still standing in the United States today. The Georgian-style building was designed to bring order and elegance to Newport town planning and public space, after the tradition of English cities. It is constructed like an English town hall, which has an open marketplace on the first floor and civic offices on the second. The brick face of The Colony House opens out into a courtyard, which is called Washington Square.
Historic events important in the formation of the United States happened in and around The Newport Colony House. In 1776, Newport citizens in the Colony House celebrated the Stamp Act repeal. On July 20, 1776, the Mayor of Newport, John Handy, read the Declaration of Independence from the balcony. After liberating Newport from the British in 1782, General Rochambeau used the first floor Great Hall as a banquet facility in honor of George Washington. Most people do not know that The Colony House served as the state house in Rhode Island until the completion of the Providence State House in 1901.
The history of Newport did not consist solely of society dames in ball gowns and the formation of government; Newport was instrumental in the establishment of The United States Naval War College. The art and science of war, which is the study of maritime and international law, naval power and diplomacy, is studied at The Naval War College. It is the oldest institution of its kind in the world, founded in 1884, and is located on Coasters Harbor Island, Newport. Today, the college offers Continuing Education and is a center of advanced research for Naval Warfare Studies.
The beauty of Newport's architecture marks historic events and it is a compelling draw for visitors to the city by the sea. In 1926, Bellevue Avenue's Hotel Viking opened after two years of construction, costing $700,000. Newport community leaders built the Viking to accommodate its many prestigious guests, including John and Jackie Kennedy, the Astors and the Vanderbilts, who came to Newport for the extravagant summer season. The Viking defined standards of elegance in service for Newport and American society. The hotel is known for its Victorian brocades, plush sofas and swags, mahogany mirrors and vases of pink and white roses.
Newport’s historic buildings and homes, such as The Elms are cared for today as they were in the days of white voile and lawn parties, English tea, biscuits and croquet. Mansion floors shine, the parties and ballroom dancing reflected on polished parquet. The black sheen of the grand piano is a shadow in the corner with sheet music opened on the stand for the next event. The history of this town and its unique place in American society is why visitors still flock to Newport and find experiences of summer and the history of those times in the seasons of their hearts.
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