List of museums in Rhode Island

This list of museums in Rhode Island encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included. Defunct museums are listed in a separate section.

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

## Current

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Image  | Name  | Town/City  | County  | Type  | Summary

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| Annmary Brown Memorial | Providence | Providence | Art | Part of Brown University, collection includes European and American paintings from the 17th through the 20th centuries and swords
| Artillery Company of Newport | Newport | Newport | Military  | Uniforms, weapons, military artifacts and memorabilia
| Audrain Automobile Museum | Newport | Newport | Automobile  | Preserves and presents automobile history.
| Barrington Preservation Society | Barrington | Bristol | History Local  | Includes household items, brick industry, fishing industry, historical houses.
| Beavertail Lighthouse Museum | Jamestown | Newport  | Lighthouse  | Located in the assistant keeper's house, includes models of many Rhode Island lighthouses
| Belcourt Castle | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house | 1890s summer cottage estate with furnishings, art and artifacts from 33 European and Oriental countries and 37 other Newport mansions
| Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum | Bristol | Bristol  | Historic house  | 45-room English-style manor mansion, 32 acres of gardens & arboretum
| Block Island Historical Society Museum | Block Island | Block Island  | History - local  | Includes household items, maritime and farming artifacts
| Block Island Southeast Light | Block Island  | Block Island  | Lighthouse  | Open in summer
| Boyd's Wind Grist Mill | Middletown | Newport  | Mill  | Early 19th-century smock mill, open to the public on Sunday afternoons in July, August and September, operated by the Middletown Historical Society
| The Breakers | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | 1890s Vanderbilt family mansion
| Bristol Historical and Preservation Society Museum and Library | Bristol  | Bristol  | Prison | 19th century jail and keeper's house
| Bristol Train of Artillery Museum | Bristol  | Bristol  | Military  | Open by appointment only
| Cape Verdean Museum Exhibit  | East Providence | Providence  | Ethnic  | history and culture of Cape Verde and Cape Verdean Americans[1]
| Chateau-sur-Mer | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | Gilded Age mansion
| Chepstow | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | 19th century period mansion
| Clemence-Irons House | Johnston | Providence  | Historic house  | Operated by Historic New England, late 17th-century house
| Clouds Hill Victorian House Museum | Warwick | Kent | Historic house  | Late 19th-century Victorian period house
| Coggeshall Farm Museum | Bristol  | Bristol  | Living history | Late 18th-century period farm with living history re-enactors
| Culinary Arts Museum  | Providence  | Providence  | Food | Part of Johnson & Wales University, history and culture of food, cooking and cuisine[2]
| David Winton Bell Gallery | Providence  | Providence  | Art  | part of the List Art Center at Brown University[3]
| Eleazer Arnold House | Lincoln | Providence  | Historic house  | Operated by Historic New England, 17th century period house
| The Elms | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | Early 20th-century mansion
| Firemen's Museum  | Warren | Bristol  | Firefighters  | Open by appointment only[4]
| Fort Adams | Newport  | Newport  | Fort  | Tours of historic fort, located in Fort Adams State Park
| General Nathanael Greene Homestead | Coventry | Kent  | Historic house  | 18th century home of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene, also known as Spell Hall
| Gilbert Stuart Birthplace | Saunderstown | Washington | Historic house  | 18th century Colonial house and museum about portraitist Gilbert Stuart
| Governor Henry Lippitt House | Providence  | Providence  | Historic house  | 19th century period Victorian 20 room home
| Governor Sprague Mansion | Cranston | Providence  | Historic house  | Operated by the Cranston Historical Society, mid 19th century period mansion
| Governor Stephen Hopkins House | Providence  | Providence  | Historic house  | Operated by Society of Colonial Dames of America, 18th-century home of Stephen Hopkins
| Great Friends Meeting House | Newport  | Newport  | Religious  | Historic Quaker meeting house, operated by the Newport Historical Society
| Green Animals Topiary Garden | Portsmouth | Newport  | Historic house  | 80 topiary animals and an 1859 Victorian house museum with displays of vintage toys & furnishings
| Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology | Providence  | Providence  | Anthropology  | Part of Brown University
| Hearthside | Lincoln | Providence  | Historic house  | Early 19th century stone mansion
| Hera Gallery | Wakefield | Washington  | Art  | Contemporary art
| Herreshoff Marine Museum | Bristol  | Bristol  | Maritime | Includes America's Cup Hall of Fame
| Hunter House | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | 18th century period house
| International Tennis Hall of Fame | Newport  | Newport  | Sports  | Located at the Newport Casino
| Isaac Bell House | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | 1880s Shingle-Style house
| Jamestown Arts Center | Jamestown  | Newport  | Art  | Art museum and teaching space. Also host to multiple film festivals
| Jamestown Fire Museum  | Jamestown  | Newport  | Firefighting  | Operated by the Jamestown Fire Department and volunteers, located next door to the main station[5]
| Jamestown Museum | Jamestown  | Newport  | Local history  | Operated by the Jamestown Historical Society, open seasonally
| John Brown House | Providence  | Providence  | Historic house  | 18th century period mansion, operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society
| John Hunt House  | East Providence  | Providence  | Historic house  | 18th-century house and museum operated by the East Providence Historical Society
| John Waterman Arnold House | Warwick  | Kent  | Historic house  | Late 18th-century house, home of the Warwick Historical Society
| Joy Homestead | Cranston  | Providence  | Historic house  | Operated by the Cranston Historical Society, 18th-century Colonial period house
| Kingscote | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | 19th-century Gothic Revival house
| Linden Place | Bristol  | Bristol  | Historic house  | 19th century estate and gardens
| Marble House | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | Gilded Age Vanderbilt family mansion
| Mount Hope Farm | Bristol  | Bristol  | Historic house  | 18th century period mansion and farm grounds
| Musée Patamécanique | Bristol  | Bristol  | Patamechanics  | Private museum containing works representing the field of Patamechanics
| Museum of Natural History and Planetarium | Providence  | Providence  | Natural history | Located in Roger Williams Park
| Museum of Newport History | Newport  | Newport  | Local history  | Operated by the Newport Historical Society
| Museum of Primitive Art and Culture  | South Kingstown | Washington  | Archaeology / Anthropology  | Changing exhibits of archaeological and ethnological objects from around the world, including Native American
| Museum of Work and Culture | Woonsocket | Providence  | Industry  | Textile industry, operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society
| Museum of Yachting | Newport  | Newport  | Maritime | Art, photographs and history of yachting, sailing, and boatbuilding
| National Museum of American Illustration | Newport  | Newport  | Art  | American illustrative art, located at Vernon Court, a Gilded Age mansion
| Naval War College Museum | Newport  | Newport  | Military  | History of the Naval War College, area naval activities and science of naval warfare
| Nelson W. Aldrich House | Providence  | Providence  | Local history  | Home of the Rhode Island Historical Society, changing exhibits on Rhode Island history
| New England Wireless and Steam Museum | East Greenwich | Kent  | Technology  | Includes the Massie Wireless Station PJ station, antique radio equipment, locally manufactured steam engines, steam turbines, and technical artifacts.
| Newport Art Museum | Newport  | Newport  | Art  | Includes notable works from Rhode Island and New England artists, mid-19th century period rooms in the John N. A. Griswold House
| Newport Car Museum | Portsmouth  | Newport  | Automobile  | 75+ cars from the 50s through to current models, in six galleries: World Cars, Corvettes, Ford/Shelby, Fin Cars, American Muscle, Mopar
| Newport Colony House | Newport  | Newport  | History  | Meeting place for the Colonial legislature and alternative State House, operated by the Newport Historical Society
| Norman Bird Sanctuary | Middletown  | Newport  | Natural history | 300-acre (1.2 km2) wildlife refuge with trailside museum
| Paine House Museum | Coventry  | Kent  | Historic house  | Colonial period house
| Paradise School | Portsmouth | Newport  | School  | One room schoolhouse
| Pettaquamscutt Historical Society Museum | Kingston | Washington  | Local history  | Housed in a former jail building
| Portsmouth Historical Society | Portsmouth  | Newport  | Local history  | Houses the majority of its collection in the former Portsmouth Christian Union Church, includes Julia Ward Howe Room
| Prescott Farm | Middletown  | Newport  | Mill  | Includes windmill, Revolutionary War guard house, and historic gardens
| Providence Children's Museum | Providence  | Providence  | Children's |
| Quonset Air Museum | North Kingstown | Washington  | Aviation | State's aviation heritage, includes military vehicles, missiles, aircraft and aviation artifacts
| Redwood Library and Athenaeum | Newport  | Newport  | Art  | Library with changing exhibitions of art and history from its collections, also sculpture, furniture, gardens & special book collections
| Rhode Island Computer Museum | North Kingstown  | Washington  | Technology  | A very large collection of vintage computers, many are operational, and include interactive demonstrations. The RICM recently merged with RIMOSA and offers STEM/STEAM classes.
| Rhode Island Museum of Science and Art (RIMOSA)  | Providence  | Providence  | Science / Art  | Hands-on exhibits, experiences, portable outreach programs, and creative resources for multi-generational learners. RIMOSA has recently merged with the Rhode Island Computer Museum
| Rhode Island School of Design Museum | Providence  | Providence  | Art  | Collection includes art from Egypt, Asia, Africa, ancient Greece and Rome, Europe, and the Americas, decorative arts, costumes and textiles
| Rhode Island Radio Museum  | North Providence  | Providence  | Historic Technology  | Private Collection of Radio and Wireless Equipment and Parts produced in Rhode Island during the 1920s.
| Rhode Island Railroad Museum | Kingston  | Washington  | Railroad  | Located in southern half of Kingston Railroad Station
| Roger Williams National Memorial | Providence  | Providence  | Biographical  | Life of Roger Williams, co-founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and a champion of the ideal of religious freedom
| Rosecliff | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | Gilded Age mansion modeled after the Grand Trianon
| Rough Point | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | Estate of Doris Duke, includes large art collection and
| Samuel Whitehorne House | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | 19th century brick townhouse with examples of Newport and Rhode Island furniture from the late 18th century
| Seabee Museum and Memorial Park | Davisville | Washington  | Military  | Includes the former U.S. Navy concrete chapel, seven vintage Quonset huts and a Seabee statue[6]
| Slater Mill | Pawtucket | Providence  | Industry  | Textile mill industry
| Smith-Appleby House | Smithfield | Providence  | Historic house  | 18th century period house
| Smith's Castle | Wickford | Washington  | Historic house  | Late 17th century period house
| South County Museum | Narragansett | Washington  | Living history | Includes farm and agriculture exhibits, Victorian kitchen, general store display, maritime gallery, print shop, carpentry shop, blacksmith shop, one-room schoolhouse, carriage barn, early vehicles
| Sydney L. Wright Museum  | Jamestown  | Newport  | Archaeological  | Ancient and Colonial period Narragansett Indian artifacts, European artifacts from the 1600s, photos and maps[7]
| Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum | Exeter | Washington  | Native American  | Museum of the Narragansett
| Touro Synagogue | Newport  | Newport  | Historic site  | Colonial-era synagogue
| Varnum House Museum | East Greenwich | Kent  | Historic house  | 1773 house built by James Mitchell Varnum, furnished with period furniture and features many historic artifacts. Owned and operated by the Varnum Continentals.
| Varnum Memorial Armory Military Museum  | East Greenwich  | Kent  | Military  | website, operated by the Varnum Continentals in the former Varnum Memorial Armory, includes weaponry, uniforms and artifacts dating from colonial America and through the 20th century
| Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House | Newport  | Newport  | Historic house  | Colonial era period house, operated by the Newport Historical Society
| Warwick Museum of Art | Warwick  | Kent  | Art  | Changing exhibits of fine and decorative art
| Watson Farm | Jamestown  | Newport  | Historic house  | 1796 house is not open to the public but visitors can explore the farmland on their own.
| Westerly Armory Museum | Westerly | Washington  | Military  | Local military memorabilia
| Whitehall Museum House | Middletown  | Newport  | Historic house  | 18th century period house
| Wilbor House, Barn and Quaker Meeting House | Little Compton | Newport  | Historic house  | Operated by the Little Compton Historical Society, late 17th-century house and early 19th-century meeting house

## Defunct

[edit]

* Beechwood (mansion), closed in 2010 [8]
* The Doll Museum, Newport, closed in 2005 [9]
* Old Colony & Newport Railway, Newport, operates narrated historical tours using 100-year-old passenger equipment, still has its equipment on the track as of 2015[update] (and 2017).
* Soviet submarine K-77, Providence

## See also

[edit]

Rhode Island county map

* List of museums
* Nature Centers in Rhode Island

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Museums in Rhode Island.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Home". Cape Verdean Museum Exhibit.
2. ^ "Home". Culinary Arts Museum.
3. ^ "Home". David Winton Bell Gallery.
4. ^ "Firemen's Museum". Visit Rhode Island. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
5. ^ "Fire Museum". Jamestown Fire Department. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
6. ^ "Seabee Museum & Memorial Park". Seabee Museum and Memorial Park.
7. ^ "Jamestown and Newport, Rhode Island Interesting and Useful Information". Jamestown Information. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
8. ^ "Astors Beechwood mansion in Newport may be sold for $10.5 million". The Providence Journal. 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
9. ^ http://dollmuseum.com/aboutus.htm The Museum Doll Shop Web site

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