The Call to Arms in Rhode Island and the Community of Artisans who Crafted Them

The coming of the Revolutionary War brought a host of challenges to the upstart colonies, chief among them was a lack of weapons and ammunition that would be used to defend communities against attack as well as weaponize the militias and Continental Army that were sent to fight the War of Independence.
Privilege & Preservation: The Reverend Doctor Roderick Terry, “An Apostolic son of a millionaire” & the Historical Landscape of Rhode Island

An original article written and researched by Michael J. Simpson which tells the story of Reverend Dr. Roderick Terry and his vision for Butts Hill Fort and the legacy of the Battle of Rhode Island.
Technical Memorandum: Butts Hill Fort Master Plan Implementation

The Butts Hill Fort Restoration Committee and Battle of Rhode Island Association (BoRIA) are updating and implementing their planning, preservation, and management plan for the Revolutionary War era Butts Hill fortification in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Butts Hill Fort Landscape Restoration Concept Plan

Butts Hill Fort is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a National Historic Landmark because of the significant role it played in the Revolutionary War.
Life on Aquidneck Island during the British Occupation, 1776-1779

Aquidneck Island today is a truly beautiful island with remarkable natural beauty: the ocean, the beaches, sea breezes, meadows and marshlands, the ubiquitous fieldstone walls, and the many open spaces and farmlands in Portsmouth and Middletown.
Black History

Black History Share this Page Black History Month presents an opportunity to acknowledge and pay respects to African Americans who have helped lay the foundation for our nation throughout history. […]
British Soldiers in Rhode Island, December 1776 – October 1779

One day in September 1778 John Hopwood was hard at work. The thirty-five-year-old native of Hutton, a village in the eastern part of Yorkshire a few miles from the coast, was a butcher, but at the age of twenty-eight had chosen a different career – he enlisted in the British army, in the 54th Regiment of Foot.
Creative Survival: Africans as Mariners in Colonial Rhode Island

The introduction of African bondage was a transformative experience that lasted over a span of four centuries and shaped the settlement, economic, religious and cultural growth of the Western Hemisphere.
Rhode Island’s Four Stages of the American Revolutionary War

Rhode Island’s role in the American Revolutionary War that raged from 1775 to 1783 is wide-ranging and complicated. It is yet another example of how Rhode Island’s history is way more impressive than its small size.
Rhode Island’s Road to Rebellion Against Great Britain, 1764-1775

In the afternoon of June 9, 1772, the sloop Hannah, a Providence packet commanded by Capt. Benjamin Lindsey, sailed forth from Newport up Narragansett Bay toward its home port. Very quickly Lindsey discovered that he was being chased by the Gaspee, a British revenue schooner stationed in the bay “for the protection of the Trade, and to prevent smuggling.”