Rhode Island Historical Society

The Rhode Island Historical Society is a privately-endowed membership organization, founded in 1822, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Rhode Island’s history. The Society has the largest and most important historical collections in existence relating to Rhode Island . These collections include some 25,000 objects, 5,000 manuscripts, 100,000 books and printed items, 400,000 photographs and maps, and 9 million feet of motion-picture film. The Society owns and maintains the notable John Brown House ( 52 Power Street , Providence ), a National Historic Landmark built in 1786; the Aldrich House ( 110 Benevolent Street , Providence ), also a National Historic Landmark, built in 1822; and the Library of Rhode Island History ( 121 Hope Street , Providence ). The Society also maintains the Museum of Work and Culture ( 42 South Main Street , Woonsocket ), a regional history museum devoted to the ethnic history of northern Rhode Island . The Society offers through the Newell D. Goff Education Center a variety of educational programs including workshops, lectures, films, and walking tours of Providence . In recent years the Society has been very active in teacher training programs seeking to improve the quality of history teaching in Rhode Island . The Society also presents exhibits, films, concerts, and many other community activities and programs.