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    Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum

    4.1 (15 reviews)
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    Gilbert Stewart Birthplace
    Jim W.

    One of the great landmarks and hidden gem here in RI. The originally furnished home is jammed packed with history and even contains a working snuff mill. The wonder groiubdsof multiple buildings is staffed with the best docents in Rhode Island who present this era of American history to bring it alive! Keep in mind due to COVID-19 there have closings to tours so please check with the website.

    Robert G.

    My fiancé and I went here for a visit in the fall of 2019. It was on my travel bucket list for the state of Rhode Island. First I will say that the museum and the mill and house are so unique and really interesting for fellow history lovers. I was, however, getting frustrated with our tour guide. He was a difficult person to read. He would ask questions to obviously lead into telling us more info on the tour and if we got a question wrong, he sort of made us out to be stupid. In the other hand, with me being a history lover, I knew some things here and there and he never seemed that thrilled if I got a question right. This was tolerable, but my fiancé and I both didn't appreciate our guide staring at my fiancé's chest. He was pretty creepy. Our guide brought down what would've otherwise been a good experience.

    Photos by Anna K.
    Brian S.

    You have seen his art You have seen the work of Gilbert Stuart but chances are you didn't know the artist. If you live in Rhode Island you probably know the name but might not be sure exactly who he was. Gilbert Stuart is one of those people that is famous but in a very quiet way. Gilbert was a portrait artist that painted over 1,000 different people. He did the first 6 presidents as well as several famous portraits of George Washington. In fact his most famous work is the unfinished portrait of George Washington that is on the one dollar bill. The picture is also hanging in many schools across the country. I remember seeing it in virtually every classroom and wonder why it was never finished. Turned out the Gilbert kept it unfinished so he could use it to make other copies of the president and then sell them. He made about a 100 bucks a copy, not bad for the time and even though he always intented to finish the original he just never got around to it by the time he died at the age of 72. Gilbert only lived at his birthplace for a short time before his family moved to more affluent Newport across the bay. However his birth home is still a pretty cool place. His family had the first snuff mill in the colonies and also ground corn for the local farmers. The house and mill are wonderfully restored and in beautiful condition and you get to see what a house and mill built in 1750 looked like when they were new. The tour is a bit pricey at seven bucks but the money goes to a great cause. A docent will take you around and explain the house, the grounds. all the reproduction paintings in the home, and how the snuff and grist mill worked. And everything you could possibly want to know about Gilbert Stuart. A fun and education tour and great way to spend 7 bucks. The Gilbert family was part of colonial history and fortunately some folks were insightful enough to restore and open this great house to the public. Most people might not know who Gilbert Stuart was but they see his art every time they open their wallets.

    View of the grist mill at the Gilbert Stuart Museum

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    Review Highlights - Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum

    The grounds are beautiful and there's even a nature trail that takes probably about 20 minutes to walk with a nice view of Carr Pond.

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    National Museum of American Illustration - Rose Garden Loggia with Maxfield Parrish's Florentine Fete on Display

    National Museum of American Illustration

    4.5(17 reviews)
    8.0 mi

    The National Museum of American Illustration is amazing, from the mansion that holds it, the…read moreoutdoor water effects and gardens and the great staff. The art inside is something you may never see again. You must stop if you are in Newport. The hours were confusing to me, so give a call or look at their web site to see when they are open. The art, all of it, on display is wonderful. Each piece is set perfectly, the lighting perfect and the story behind each piece is fascinating. If you are a Rockwell fan at all, you have to go here. You may think you know Rockwell's but I saw illustrations I had no idea existed, from the cute to the serious to the beauty of telling of a time in US history. The John Rogers sculptures are really something to see. This was my first time noticing his work and I just stood there in awe. Enjoy.

    Having been to the Norman Rockwell museum in MA, and looking at the pieces displayed in this…read moremuseum, I must tell you that there are a decent amount of prints and lithographs vs original art work. Rockwell painted much larger paintings, for example the actual four freedom paintings are probably 4 feet by 6 feet. The detail required could never be done in such small canvases. Yes there are plenty of actual paintings and illustrations but not nearly as many as you would think.

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    National Museum of American Illustration - Rockwell's works on display in the Tiffany Loggia beneath original ceiling murals by James Wall Finn

    Rockwell's works on display in the Tiffany Loggia beneath original ceiling murals by James Wall Finn

    National Museum of American Illustration - Vernon Court's Grand Salon

    Vernon Court's Grand Salon

    National Museum of American Illustration - Visitors observe Rockwell's talent in his Saturday Evening Post cover, 'The Bridge Game'

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    Visitors observe Rockwell's talent in his Saturday Evening Post cover, 'The Bridge Game'

    Jamestown Historical Society

    Jamestown Historical Society

    4.0(1 review)
    4.0 mi

    Step back in…read more time The Jamestown Historical Society and Museum is located in a small but very cool 19th century schoolhouse that displays a variety of old maps, artifacts, photos and memorabilia from the old ferry system. Certainly not a large museum but themes and ideas are changed throughout the summer to keep things interesting. The island of Jamestown is very history conscious and the Historical Society is extremely active in giving lectures, demonstrations and special events. Even though the artifacts, photos and maps are fascinating, the main attraction are the people that work there. Most of them have lived on the island all their lives and have ancestors that farmed the fields and sailed the waters. They are a wealth of information and can answer of will find the answer to any possible question about the history of the island. Full of great stories of the past and humorous personal antidotes. Many people pass through Jamestown on the way to Newport or Boston but unfortunately not many take the time to stop on the island and even fewer take the time to visit the small and unassuming museum. That's too bad because on the island history is still alive and well and the past, present and future are inseparable. Step back in time

    From the owner: Maintain the Museum, the Windmill, the Meetinghouse, and the Conanicut Battery. Preserve the…read moreSociety's collection of documents, photographs, and artifacts.

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    Jamestown Historical Society
    Jamestown Historical Society - Battery

    Battery

    Jamestown Historical Society

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    Jamestown Philomenian Library - Lots of shades areas

    Jamestown Philomenian Library

    5.0(3 reviews)
    4.0 mi

    My boyfriend and I are on a quest to visit every library in Rhode Island, and even after years and…read moreyears of living in the surrounding area and performing with a theatre company in town, I have actually never been to the Jamestown Philomenian Library up until yesterday! And what a mistake it was to stay away for so long! This library is smaller than some of the other ones we have visited around the state, but does not lack in charm or comfort at all. Step inside, and you'll find an ample selection of literature, lots of DVDs, and tons of community meeting space, from private conference rooms to a larger room that's used for everything from guest speakers to movie screenings (they're free! We'll be back for one soon!) There are also lots of cozy chairs to sit in and read, which is a perfect refuge for a cold island night. I could have stayed here all day! Pro tip! If you have the Ocean State Library Card, you can take out books from any of the libraries in the network, not just the one you got the card from. I learned this way too late after getting mine, and I'm glad the kind librarian here set the record straight! I ended up leaving with a stack of novels, and the greatest foodie movie of all time, Chef, on DVD. Hey, I'm a Yelper at heart, what can I say?

    What exactly is a…read more Philomenian? The library on the island of Jamestown is officially called the Jamestown Philomenian Library. Everyone knows what a library is but what the hell is a Philomenian? Don't bother looking it up in a dictionary because you won't find it. That's because the word doesn't mean anything. Philomenian is a word that doesn't really exist. It seems in times past people in eccentric places like islands use to enjoy making up words to describe their organizations to distinguish themselves from other equally bizarre organizations. They wanted to sound unique and you can't get any more unique than making up your own words. In the early 1800's a group of fellows on Jamestown wanted to start a debating club. So I suppose they had a debate and decided to called themselves the Jamestown Philomenian Debating Society. A few decades later they decided the island needed a library so they each donated one dollar and started what was called the Jamestown Philomenian Library. The fact that philomenian wasn't a word didn't seem to bother anyone. At first the library was just some books kept in people's houses. Very casual and unorganized. Finally in 1971 a building was built to house the books and in 1993 it was enlarged and modernized but still kept the name Jamestown Philomenian Library. Once again no one seem to mind the library has a word in it's name that doesn't really exist. The library today is actually quite large and modern considering the small amount of people it serves. However it never lost it's friendly, idiosyncratic and eccentric island charm. It not only serves as storage for tomes but also contains the Sydney Wright Museum with some cool artifacts and several meeting rooms that have various art exhibitions, story times for kids and some very cool concerts with local talent. A friendly place not just for books, but it also serves the purpose for interacting and socializing with neighbors. Certainly not the largest or technologically advance library in the state but then that's part of the charm. The fact that the library has a word in it's name that doesn't really exist suits it quite well.

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    Jamestown Philomenian Library
    Jamestown Philomenian Library
    Jamestown Philomenian Library

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    Willett Free Library - Willett Free Library

    Willett Free Library

    5.0(3 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    If only there were 10 stars. This tiny place is the hub of the community. Its library service is a…read moresliver of what goes on here: concerts, cooking classes, a kids' postcard club, Italian lessons, yoga, art exhibits, adventure lectures, live streaming, movies, guitar lessons, crafts, story hour for tots. A cozy, comfy setting with working fireplace and native plant garden in the back. Private library open to the public, OLIS member, meets all RI state standards, including handicapped access. WiFi available. Open 1:00-6:00 M-F; 9:00-12:00 Sat. Closed Sun. All state library cardholders welcome, but do join the Willett anyway ... your support is vital.

    There isn't too much in Saunderstown that's the same as it was in the 1960s. The road I grew up on…read moreis still dirt, but the pasture next to my childhood home, once filled with gentle music from the bells on Mr. Newcomb's sheep, is now occupied by a mini-mansion. My childhood home expanded and looks like a Cape Cod on steroids. The once mostly abandoned summer homes on Narragansett Bay are winterized and occupied. It is unlikely that quite so many families harvest quite so much from the bay as we did....quahogs and mussels and steamers and flounder, or that doors are left unlocked for days, weeks, years, or that mothers don't worry much if, on a summer's night, a 9 year old is so busy capturing fire flies that it is a long time after dark before they come home. I am hopeful that children still get to have a childhood in Saunderstown, that they are encouraged to go barefoot all summer, to be outside all day with few in and out privileges, to climb on the rocky shore, to learn to swim and sail in the cold bay waters, to play tennis and climb trees and ride bikes with wild abandon, to cross neighbors yards in noisy tribes, declaring an ancient right of way gives them the right. I am even more hopeful that the Willett Free Library, my childhood sanctuary, remains a welcoming and treasured place for every kid in Saunderstown - a remarkable village comprised of a post office, a yacht club, a church and a library. Reading and learning and self teaching are earnest New England occupations, and the kind librarians of the 1960s thought very carefully of all of their patrons as they added each volume to inventory. I can still see Mrs. Taylor, one of my favorites, lovingly caressing a book, thinking of the homes in the village it would visit, knowing who should be sure to get it next. I can taste the excitement and anticipation on each dash to the library, trying so hard to remember to slow my pace to respectable library standards before going up the front stairs, not flinging the door open or letting it slam, to gently place the returning books on the counter, and to politely greet the librarian and fellow readers before diving into stacks. I am pretty sure the spirit is alive, as the website for the library says "Our flag depicts a sailing ferry built by Stillman Saunders. At his home, a "Circle for Mutual Improvement" was formed in 1885; the beginnings of this library. When the flag is flying, the WFL is open". I didn't know that the library started in somebody's house, but it is not surprising, as story hour and reading never began and ended at the library in my childhood; it was alive in the home of Anna and Winslow Ames, with Anna's loving story circles for carefully selected, well behaved children, at bedtime every night in almost every home, ...in books traded from one house to another....words have always been woven through the village, spoken and written, the Willett Free Library being just one of the many places where books were honored.

    Photos
    Willett Free Library - Willett Free Library in winter

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    Willett Free Library in winter

    Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum - museums - Updated June 2026

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