AUTUMN 2023
THE TIMES NEW OLD NEWS FROM THE RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Board of Trustees CHAIR Robert H. Sloan, Jr.
VICE CHAIR Luther W. Spoehr, Ph.D.
TREASURER Mark F. Harriman
SECRETARY Peter J. Miniati, JD, CFP Michael L. Baker, Jr. CPA Alletta Morris Cooper Paul A. Croce, ScD Michael Gerhardt Roberta E. Gosselin Scott MacKay Frank Mauran IV Maureen Moakley, PhD Marcus Nevius, PhD Jeanette E. Riley, PhD Alicia J. Samolis, JD Theodore W. Smalletz Stanley Weiss
EX OFFICIO Erin Stevenson
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR C. Morgan Grefe, Ph.D. Charmyne Goodfellow, Deputy Executive Director for Finance & Administration Richard J. Ring, Deputy Executive Director for Collections & Interpretation Sarah Jane Carr, Director of Advancement & Public Engagement Anne Conway, Director of the Museum of Work & Culture Sally Meyer, Director of Education Jerrad Pacatte, Director of Historical Research & Content Development
RHODE ISLAND MAKES... by C. Morgan Grefe, Ph.D., Executive Director In 2023, we have been exploring Rhode Island and the World. We’ve worked with partners locally, nationally, and internationally to help us explore Rhode Island’s connections to our global history over the course of centuries. For 2024, we’re going to shift gears a bit and start our exploration of “Making History in Rhode Island.” For some, making history is about learning historical or artisanal practices, like naturally dying textiles, mending historical clothing, or creating period-specific clothing. For others, making history might be about an individual who took a stand or pushed the limits in ways that shaped their future–and our past and present. Rhode Island, as you well know, has a long history of making: jewelry manufacturing, textile weaving, and cheese production, to name a few. And while manufacturing was front and center here, it was substantial throughout the nation. In fact, growing up in New Jersey, I remember with great excitement getting to see what everyone lovingly calls the “Trenton Makes Bridge,” not that I understood its story. As it turns out, in 1910, the Trenton Chamber of Commerce had a contest for the public to create a slogan for the city and have it emblazoned on the trusses of what was then known only as the Lower Trenton Bridge. The winner, citing the impressive manufacturing of the city, was “Trenton Makes, the World Takes.” I think about this slogan more than I probably ought, but it’s because the catchphrase would have been so apt for Rhode Island, too. As a manufacturing capital, Rhode Island industries brought in raw materials and transformed them into all manner of goods. In the nineteenth century, some of these materials supported the economy of enslavement that undergirded our global economy. Other producers specialized in luxury products, like silver, that made Rhode Island firms famous the world over. Each one of these companies attracted workers at every level of skill to bring their talents to this little state. If “Trenton Makes,” then Rhode Island saw their bet and raised the ante considerably. It might not be glowing in neon for all to see, but around the world, people's closets, jewelry boxes, and breakfronts were filled with the label, “Made in Rhode Island.”
Come to think of it, I bet that many of the times I looked out the train window at the neon lights, I was wearing my class ring from Jostens and my I.D. bracelet from Speidel. Even as a kid in Jersey in the 1990s, I was taking from Rhode Island without even knowing it. Of course, there are other ways in which people make history. Many of you “make history” as you create your family trees, research your town’s history, or even write historical monographs. In 2024, we hope to explore all of this, and more, and we can’t wait to hear from you about how you “make” history. As you look through this issue of The Times, I don’t think any of you will be surprised to see textiles and furniture as part of our examinations in the year to come. But in looking at the articles, it made me think about a question a visitor asked me recently.
Gorham Manufacturing Company. Silversmith Crafting Large Silver Bowl. Providence, R.I. n.d. Silver Gelatin Print. RHi (X3) 4107.
Trenton Makes, The World Takes Bridge, Photo by Josh Friedman.
The visitor remarked that she heard me say that at the John Brown House Museum, we focus on social and cultural history, not the decorative arts, although we recognize that we have an extraordinary collection. She asked me what I meant by that and I thought it might be something worth sharing, especially since I spent some of my working life in the decorative arts trade. I explained that as a history museum, we use our collections to illustrate points within a larger narrative. Rarely is an object our starting point or our final destination, rather it is an illustrative stop along the way. If I were to compare an exhibition to an essay, the object is rarely our thesis. It is a supporting sentence or if extraordinary, a paragraph. Our thesis might be about furniture makers, advances in manufacturing, or perhaps even the environmental aspects of a type of work, and we are fortunate to have thousands of objects in our collections that let us humanize these stories and make them accessible. We rely heavily on our objects and archives to tell the stories we do, and this year, more than most, we will get to explore the how and why of these pieces by placing them in context, by understanding the history they made, and who made them.
by Connor Mathis, Public Engagement Manager
As a valued member, you likely know that the Rhode Island Historical Society stewards a priceless collection of objects and papers that are essential to documenting our state and our nation’s past. Within these items such as diaries, manuscripts, and grand portraits are the stories of Rhode Islanders. Many of these stories are implicit, but one recent acquisition (featured on the cover of this issue) tells an explicit story.
Warfare and the beginnings of escape as presented in the Pandau
What may first appear to be an elaborate quilt, is a Hmong Pandau, an intricate textile that Hmong women create to showcase their artistic skill, or tell stories that are important to their culture.
Hmong woman and children at a South East Asian arts festival at Roger Williams Park, 1985. (Source: Louise Lind, The Southeast Asians in Rhode Island (Providence: 1989), 6.)
The Hmong people have called many places home but have historically resided in the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and other nations in Asia. Sadly, warfare in Southeast Asia forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes into new countries and communities, including Rhode Island, particularly in South Providence and Woonsocket. As these refugees began to rebuild their lives here, nonprofits were founded to meet the needs of this community and provide essential services, such as the Center for Southeast Asians and the Genesis Center. Some Hmong women who benefitted from the work of the Genesis Center gifted Pandaus to the organization as a way to thank them for their work, including this recent addition to our collection.
While the quilts can feature all kinds of designs, this one shows the beginnings of a diaspora. This Pandau is not only an example of incredible craftsmanship but of storytelling, as the length of the journey the Hmong made is expressed through the intricacy of the textile. Their journey begins among embroidered mountains settled near an empty red sun. As the Hmong people flee the violence that is shown invading their home, the mountains become hollow and small, dwarfed by the determined refugees and their new surroundings, especially by the plane that will change their lives from what they had previously known. When asked about the importance of Pandaus to the Hmong people, Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asians, Channavy Chhay, said, “The Pandau presents the lives of the native Hmong people based on their geography, portraying anything from hunting to farming. The Pandau is a dying art, as many Hmong elders are losing their vision and are unable to create new tapestries. We must do everything we can to preserve this important part of Hmong culture.” The Hmong that have settled and raised families in Rhode Island are far from their ancestral homes. Our state does not have mountains that touch the clouds or a river as grand as the Mekong. But, the refugees who have worked to rebuild their lives since arriving here more than 40 years ago have something essential in common with their adopted state: hope. The Hmong have enriched our state’s tapestry, adding some rich orange and green to Rhode Island’s countless shades of blue. Just as the mountains on the Pandau were still visible despite being a world away, the memories of the people who came here, both good and bad, remain and must be preserved.
by Sally Meyer, Director of Education
Thomas Howland, whose portrait is on display in Turning Points.
Want to see the intricacy of the Pandua in person? It is now on display in the John Brown House Museum’s new exhibit, “Turning Points in Rhode Island History.” This display explores the National History Day annual theme “Turning Points” and highlights the Pandau and other objects, documents, and images. What is a turning point in history? How do we identify one? Turning points are moments that shape, shift, advance, or radically change our communities, states, nation, or world. They can have an immediate or long-term impact. Events can be turning points, like Roger Williams landing in Rhode Island in 1636, radically changing the lives of Indigenous communities and setting a new path for religious freedom in the colonies. It could be advancements, such as those that brought fabric mills and manufacturing to Rhode Island and perpetuated the business of slavery by producing cheap clothing for enslaved laborers in the South. Lastly, actions, like the woman suffrage advocates who published a newspaper, giving voice to a defining moment in women’s rights. The exhibit will be on display in the John Brown House Museum through the Spring 2024.
Hmong refugees boarding American Plane as presented in the Pandau
This exhibit was made possible by the A More Perfect Union initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.
STITCHED TOGETHER Quilts, Immigration, and Our Common Story by Béatrice Duchastel de Montrouge, Public Programs Coordinator, Museum of Work & Culture
As the days grow shorter and the nights cooler, nothing is more welcoming than curling up in a comfortable chair with one’s favorite cozy blanket. It is a universal experience that offers warmth, comfort, and security. In this simple but important object, the Museum of Work & Culture has found the perfect fusion between the RIHS’s 2024 annual theme, Making History in Rhode Island, and the museum’s focus on immigration.
Next fall, in collaboration with the Welcome Blanket Project and Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, the museum will present an exhibit in its changing gallery that will provide an exciting opportunity for local makers of all ages and abilities, particularly knitters, crocheters, quilters, weavers, sewists, and crafters. The Welcome Blanket Project is an art initiative started by Los Angeles-based artist and Brown University graduate Jayna Zweiman. In 2017, Zweiman originally conceived of the Welcome Blanket Project as a way to reimagine the proposed border wall with Mexico as 2,000 miles of yarn to be knit into blankets to give to people as a warm welcome to our nation. These blankets, and the corresponding stories of their makers, were then exhibited in order to create humane spaces in which to talk about immigration issues. Afterwards, these Welcome Blankets were gifted to refugees, turning a symbol of division (the proposed wall) into one of inclusion (a comforting welcome gift). Numerous Welcome Blanket exhibits have been held across the country, including at the Fuller Craft Museum in Massachusetts, Heritage Winooski Mill Museum in Vermont, and the Museum of Design Atlanta.
Welcome Blanket Studio with Examples
As we prepare for the Museum’s 2024 exhibit, we need the help of our community! To participate in the MoWC’s Welcome Blanket Project, individuals will handmake a 40" by 40" blanket and write a welcome note sharing a story important to your family relating to immigration or relocation. Blankets can be of any medium (knit, crochet, quilt, etc.), as long as they are handmade. Those wishing to contribute may make their blankets at home, or can participate in any of the programs the RIHS will be hosting in the winter and spring where friends and members will be able to share and learn crafting skills. These blankets and notes will be exhibited in the Museum of Work & Culture’s rotating gallery space next Fall. The Museum will begin accepting blankets later in the winter and up until May 15th. Following the exhibit, all blankets and notes will be gifted to a local refugee resettlement organization so that they can welcome new refugees as they enter the United States. To learn more about Welcome Blanket and to find ideas and templates to help start your project, visit https://www.welcomeblanket.org/.
FROM FOREST TO FOYER Reinterpreting an Iconic Museum by Richard Ring, Deputy Executive Director for Collections and Interpretation
In 1974, the Aldrich House was presented to the RIHS by the heirs of Winthrop W. Aldrich. This allowed us to move our staff offices and headquarters out of the John Brown House and develop it into a house museum. Its first interpretation was focused on both the decorative arts and the story of John Brown and his family in the time of the American Revolution. This served as part of the RIHS’s celebration of the Bicentennial in 1976. In 2005, the RIHS reinterpreted the JBH, marking the first significant shift in its interpretation in nearly 30 years. We shifted focus from material culture to the social and cultural history of the time, as well as Rhode Island’s role in the slave trade. Nearly two very eventful decades have passed, and several key pieces on loan have been removed, and so it is time to re-envision how we use the house to interpret Rhode Island’s past. We have settled on a new, much broader lens to situate the state’s history in global contexts at the JBH.
Mahogany by Jennifer Anderson
The RIHS cannot employ specialist curators for the vast array of topics it covers, and must rely on the skills of its professional team, as well as outside scholars, to grow its interpretive footprint. With this in mind, we will select a noteworthy book on a topic deeply related to themes we wish to explore at the John Brown House Museum and turn that book into an exhibit, generally limited to one of the rooms in the house. For each exhibit, we will create narrative text, display pertinent objects and documents, as well as pose dialogic questions for deeper engagement. Each exhibit will be supported by a team composed of staff from RIHS’s departments including collections (object and document selection), education (curriculum development), programming (tour and event development), and facilities (fabrication and installation).
Desk-and-bookcase, ca. 1775–1785. Mahogany with white pine.
We have selected Mahogany: The Costs of Luxury in Early America, by Jennifer Anderson (Harvard UP, 2012), as the focus of our inaugural room in this effort, because it superbly illuminates so many aspects of Rhode Island’s connections to global commerce and culture in the period. According to Anderson, a professor at SUNY Stony Brook, “I was thrilled to learn that my book has provided some inspiration. And, of course, I’d be delighted to offer my assistance.” The display, which will open in early 2024, is entitled “From Forest to Foyer: Rhode Island and the Mahogany Trade, 1650–1850.” It will trace the production and consumption of mahogany and its rise as a commodity, which paralleled and contributed to the rise of mercantile Rhode Island in the global economy.
Photo credit: Jordan Mernick
GET TO KNOW: JERRAD PACETTE The RIHS was excited to add a new position in the past year, welcoming Jerrad Pacette as the first Director of Historical Research and Content Development. Jerrad, who joined us in January 2023, is a doctoral candidate and School of Arts and Sciences Excellence Fellow in the Department of History at Rutgers University. His research revisits the evolution, expansion, and gradual death of slavery in eighteenth and early-nineteenth-century New England. He had previously served as a peer reviewer for the RIHS’s Encompass Digital Sourcebook, and is also a board member of the Rhode Island Slave History Medallion’s Projects’ History and Education Board and a historical researcher for the Snowtown History Project.
What are you responsible for as Director of Historical Research and Content Development? I like to think of my role at the RIHS as a liaison between our Collections and Education departments. Working alongside the collections staff, my work often involves researching and sharing the incredible historical resources that we have in our collections with members of our education team to deepen how we research and teach various topics of timeless relevance in our state’s history. I also work alongside our executive leadership to identify relevant collections and to facilitate the development of socially responsible institutional
research projects that align with our organization’s IDEA goals and priorities. I also have the great pleasure of co-editing the Rhode Island History journal alongside Rick Ring [Deputy Executive Director for Collections and Interpretation], and I enjoy this aspect of my position very much, particularly the ability to correspond with and help authors publish their research. What are your hopes and goals for Rhode Island History going forward? In many ways, it is still surreal to me that I am now one of the editors of the journal. My biggest hope for Rhode Island History is to continue the legacy of publishing innovative and intersectional
historical scholarship but also to expand the scope of whose stories we tell and how we tell them. I am eager to work with authors interested in topics and communities that have received less historical attention than others. I am also excited to partner with our collections staff to renew publishing regular “collections spotlights,” which will showcase intriguing items from our museum and archival collections! What part of Rhode Island’s history fascinates you most? The rollicking world of early Rhode Island, or as one contemporary dubbed it “Rogue Island,” has always fascinated me–a place where people of various religions, political beliefs, and cultural and racial backgrounds collided, created institutions, and lived side-by-side. My abiding interest in studying the lives of individuals whose stories are not always readily apparent in the histories that we are taught influenced my decision to become a historian of African American women’s history. The records of early Rhode Island…are unparalleled in the amount of information that they yield about everyday people and their quotidian lives. These sources allow me to reconstruct, even if only partially, the lives of enslaved women, the poor, people with disabilities, immigrants, and others who contributed to the creation of our great state. What new perspectives have you gained since starting your employment at the RIHS? I’ve learned so much in the short amount of time that I’ve had the pleasure of working at the RIHS. Since stepping into my role, I’ve witnessed firsthand the incredible work performed by my colleagues across departments and the years of expertise that they bring to the table of running this innovative institution. I know that I can turn to them whenever I have a question about something I may have never done before–whether that be developing an interpretive plan, designing an accessible and engaging exhibition, or working with colleagues and members of the board to craft a comprehensive strategic plan that outlines our institutional priorities for the next several years. Above all, I believe the greatest perspective I’ve gained since working here is a deeper respect for all of the incredible work that our organization delivers to the community as well as the challenges–and the possibilities–of working at a non-profit organization.
RIHS DONORS Annual Fund Donors $10,000+ Amica Companies Foundation Philmoney Trust $5,000+ Mr. and Dr. Barry G. and Kathleen C. Hittner, M.D. Profs. Luther W. and Kathryn T. Spoehr The Weisberg Family Foundation $1,000-$4,999 Mr. William T. Babcock Mr. Michael Baker Mr. Vincent Buonanno Mrs. Lucy Aldrich Burr Mrs. Lucille W. Cameron and Mr. James R. Doris Mrs. Nancy K. Cassidy and Mr. Jeffrey Schreck Mrs. Inge Chafee Mr. and Mrs. Andrew M. and Mary E. Erickson Mr. Arnold M. Friedman Dr. and Mrs. George M. and Betsey Goodwin Mr. and Mrs. Luke and Roberta Gosselin Mr. Mark Harriman Hope Foundation Mr. James P. Loring, CPA, CFA Mr. Frederick R. Mattis Dr. Maureen Moakley Mr. Robert G. Padula, CPCU, ARM Peggy and Henry Sharpe Fund Ms. Alicia Samolis Mr. Robert & Catherine H. Sloan Jr., CLU, CHFC Mr. and Mrs. Theodore W. and Robyn G. Smalletz Ms. Mary C. Speare Ms. Maureen Taylor and Mr. Dexter Strong United Way of Rhode Island Mr. and Mrs. Stanley and Beth Weiss $500-$999 Ms. Pamela Behring Mr. Anthony Calandrelli Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Lucia Case Dr. Paul Croce Mr. and Mrs. Dennis J. and Kathleen Y. Duffy Mr. Michael C. Gerhardt and Ms. Doree Goodman Dr. C. Morgan Grefe and Mr. Gage Prentiss Mrs. Virginia D. Hales Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Hallowell Jr. Mr. Scott MacKay Mr. Peter J. Miniati III, CFP Mr. Wayne Moore The Honorable and Mrs. Joseph and Claire-Lise Presel Mr. and Mrs. Russ and Carla Ricci Nancy Sweet Ms. Mary Wall $250-$499 Bank of America Matching Gifts Program Mr. E. Gordon Bowen-Hassell Mr. James E. Frutchey
Dr. and Mrs. Ed and Diane Iannuccilli Mr. and Mrs. Bradford B. and Jean R. Kopp Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Lynn Manning Mr. and Mrs. Norman and Dorothy McCulloch Jr. Mr. Marcus Nevius Ms. Mildred T. Nichols Mr. Kenneth Orenstein and Ms. Barbara Feibelman Ms. Jen Riley Mr. Philip V. Sarcione Mr. Peter J. Scheidler Dr. and Mrs. George M. and Theresa D. Seidel Ms. Jennifer R. Suellentrop $100-$249 Mrs. Rebecca N. Alberg Ms. Lucille E. Atkinson Ms. Elizabeth J. Baker Mrs. Suzanne Baldaia, Ph.D. and Mr. Ernest Mayo, Esq. Mrs. Cherry Fletcher Bamberg Ms. Mary-Elizabeth Barton Mr. and Mrs. Harrison and Arria Bilodeau Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Catherine Bledsoe Ms. Renee Boyce Mr. Thomas Bryson Mrs. Susan J. Carr Drs. Floyd & Sheri Cheung Mr. and Mrs. Dede and Jules Cohen Ms. Bonny R. Cook Mr. and Mrs. Murray and Judith Danforth III Mr. and Mrs. Cornelis and Kathryn De Boer Mr. and Mrs. Fred and Virginia DeGregory Ms. Pauline L. Denning Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Susan Dick Mrs. and Mr. Joe Fisler Mr. and Mrs. Joan and Jack M. Flynn Mr. and Mrs. Anthony F. and Barbara T. Fontaine Ms. Ann Gallagher Mr. Donald W. Gardner Jr. Ms. Donna-Belle Garvin Harvey Gershman Dr. Lewis L. Gould Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Teresa Hacunda Prof. John B. Hattendorf Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan and Anne Hird Roseann and John Histed Carl and Miriam Hoffman Ms. Patricia M. Jarvis Mr. Linda and Bill J. Jenkins Mrs. Beverly Klyberg Mr. Alan Lawson Mr. J. Stephen Lawton Ms. Michelle Le Brun Mr. and Mrs. Leonard I. and Linda L. Levin Mr. Keith Lewis Dr. Richard Lobban Mr. Nicholas A. Longo Karen Lynch Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Kathryn Mandel, CPA Ms. Jane Brayton Marshall Ms. Cheryl Martin Mr. Christian M. McBurney Mrs. Martha Milot Mr. William B. Moore Mr. Albin Moser
Mr. and Mrs. James M. and Susan M. Nagle Ms. Margaret Nardacci Mr. Sanford Neuschatz Mr. Joseph J. O'Neill Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Marie Parys Ms. Diana Pearson Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Kathleen Peck Dr. Tullio D. Pitassi Mr. Frederick W Reinhardt Ress Family Foundation Ms. Thelma Rocha Ms. Cindy Salazar, Esq. Mr. John W. Searles Jr. Mrs. Gretchen Simpson and Mr. James Baird Mr. and Mrs. John and Margaret M. Skenyon The Benevity Community Impact Fund The Interstitials Christopher T. Tourtellot Ms. Christine Townsend Ms. Elizabeth H. Ward Mr. Francis C. Ward Ms. Nancy A. Wegimont Dr. David C. Woolman Mr. and Mrs. John and Ann Woolsey Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas and Wendy Yarnold
Museum of Work & Culture Donors $1,000-$4,999 Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Lori Godin Ms. Pierrette Kelly Lepine Financial Advisors Murray Family Charitable Foundation $500-$999 Mr. Frederick W. Reinhardt $250-$499 Ms. Diane Adam Mr. and Mrs. John and Kyle Adamonis Dr. and Mrs. James and Katherine Brennan Mr. and Mrs. Russ and Mary Dexter Mr. and Mrs. David and Ann-Marie Fontaine Mr. Scott MacKay Mrs. Martha Roberts Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Elizabeth Staples Jr. $100-$249 Mrs. Linda A. Andreoni Mrs. Shirley Ayers Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Judith Ann Ayotte Mr. Michael Balint B.U.W. Council Local 310 Mr. and Mrs. Maurice and Barbara Bell Mr. and Mrs. Richard and Germaine Cayer Ms. Pauline Clancy Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Cogan Construction and General Laborers' Local Union 271 Mrs. Julia Conway and Mrs. Juliana Pabon Mr. Michael Conway Mr. and Mrs. Peter and Anne Conway Mr. and Mrs. Pete and Carol Courtemanche Mr. Patrick Crowley Mrs. Frances Delasanta Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Rena DiMuccio
Mrs. Elizabeth Faricy Mrs. Shirley Girard Mr. and Mrs. Donald and Rachel Hoard Mr. Gordon Hoover II Italian Working Men's Club Mr. Thomas Kogut Mr. and Mrs. Roland and Billiegene Lavallee Mr. Everett G. LeesI Ms. Charlotte Methe Reverend Eugene Lessard Ms. Irene G. Nebiker Mrs. Lorraine Palmer Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Kathleen Peck Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Peloquin Mr. and Mrs. Ron and Lorraine Pennington Dr. and Mrs. Joel Picard Ms. Margaret Jean Pickett Mr. and Mrs. Roland Rivet Mr. Marc Staelen Mr. and Mrs. William & Karen Sutherland Ms. Nancy A. Wegimont Mr. William J. Whiteside
Grants & Designated Gifts $10,000+ The City of Woonsocket Institute of Museum and Library Services June Rockwell Levy Foundation Mellon Foundation Museum of Work and Culture Preservation Foundation National Historical Preservation and Records Commission National Park Service The Newell D. Goff Fund at The Rhode Island Foundation Potter and Picchione Funds at the Rhode Island Foundation Providence Public Library Québec Ministère des Relations internationales Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission State of Rhode Island $5,000-$9,999 Annennberg Foundation Richard and Lyse-Anne Lepine National Trust for Historic Preservation Smithsonian Institute Squantum Association Waynesburg University Teaching with Primary Resources $2,500-$4,999 Moore Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation Rhode Island Department of Education State of Rhode Island General Assembly $1,000-$2,499 Arthur and Catherine Bert City University of New York Dexter Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation RI Society Sons of the Revolution The Rhode Island Senate
$100-$999 Gilder Lehrman Institute Wall Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation
Sponsorships $10,000+ Amica Insurance Mr. and Dr. Barry G. and Kathleen C. Hittner, M.D. $2,500-$4,999 AAA Northeast Bank of America Esten & Richard Insurance KCI Paving Lepine Financial Advisors Quebec Government $1,000-$2,499 Mr. Anthony Calandrelli Brewster Thornton Architects The Brickle Group Brown University Dr. Winifred Brownell Dr. Paul Croce Mr. Mark Harriman Mandel & Tracy, LLC Dr. Maureen Moakley Mullen, Scorpio, & Cirelli Partridge, Snow & Hahn Premiere Employee Benefits of New England Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Catherine Sloan Jr. Profs. Luther and Kathy Spoehr The Stanley Weiss Collection University of Rhode Island Collge of Arts & Sciences The Washington Trust Company $500-$999 Bourget & Associates Centerville Bank Consulate General of Canada in Boston Councilman David Soucy Fournier & Fournier Funeral Home Mr. Mike Gerhardt and Ms. Doree Goodman Mr. and Mrs. George and Betsey Goodwin Dr. C. Morgan Grefe and Mr. Gage Prentiss Rhode Island Jewish Association Rhode Island Labor History Society Rotary Club of Woonsocket Mr. and Mrs. Stanley and Beth Weiss $100-$499 American Association of Teachers of French, RI Friendly Home Mrs. Gertrude Lamoureux Marcum LLP Northern RI Chamber of Commerce Mr. Scott McGee Wealth Management Resources
In-Kind Donations Adeline's Speakeasy Black Restaurant Black Sheep
Blackstone River Theater Bottles Fine Wine Capital Grill Ceremony Tea Chelo's Chifferobe Ciro's Edgewood Cheese Shop Frisky Fries iHeart Media Jahunger Judith Potter Photography KG Kitchen La Gran Parada Lumpia Brothers Madeira Ming's Donna Montaquilla Olly's Patrick Crowley Poutine Peddler's Providence Performing Arts Ctr Richard Lepine River Falls Restaurant RJ Hill Liquors Savini’s Pomodoro The Village PVD True Value Hardware WNRI Radio WOON Radio Wright’s Farm
Donors to the Collection David Abbott Amica Insurance Anonymous Ted Archibald Peter Bansmer Phoebe Bean Christopher Berl Dennis Birchall Rachel Bottone Joseph Lee Boyle Bristol Historical & Preservation Society Leonard E. Brodt Barbara Buswell Hon. Donald Carcieri Katherine Carpenter Alex Caserta Nancy K. Cassidy Clinton County Historical Association The Colonial Society of Massachusetts Connecticut Historical Society Meg Cooney Tom Cotter G. Timothy Cranston Paul Crole Pamela Crosby Alfred R. Crudale John & Sally Cutler Russell DeSimone Linda Eppich Fall River Historical Society Kate Freed Paul Friday
Georgia Historical Society Ted Green C. Morgan Grefe Dr. Robert Alan Hatch H.B. Stamps Memorial Library Historic Saranac Lake, NY Daniel Hyland Diane Iemma L. Fredrick Jodry John Russel Bartlett Society Daphne Kapolka Joanna Katsune Killingly Historical & Genealogical Society Karen E. King Marian Knapp Mary Ann Koferl William LaCivita Christine Lamar Nicolas Lasinsky Little Compton Historical Society Susan S. Lukesh Daniel Maroney M. May David Miller Rebecca Morris Bonnie W. Mucia Dana Signe K. Munroe Anne Myles Newport Historical Society Estate of Margaret B. Nucklos Marc Paiva Anna V. Picozzi Marilyn E. Place Providence Preservation Society Catherine Randall Jonathan Randall RI National Guard James M. Ricci Richard J. Ring Art Salve Steve Sanborn Peggy Stuart Doig Scimone Thomas Sell Katharine Small Karen Spangenberg Cecilie Surasky Sun Media Group Michael C. Swanson Paul Michael Taylor Terre Haute Realty LLC Mary Esther Trent Budd Tunick Lynn Vandenberg Ellen Washburn Martin Michael White Gloria Winston John M. Woolsey Judith Yarme Michael Zuckerman
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