Forgotten Founders Seminar

Forgotten Founders: Untold Stories of Rhode Island’s Revolution Come to Life at
the Greene Homestead

Coventry, RI The Gen. Nathanael Greene Homestead hosts the Forgotten
Founders event series one day ahead of Rhode Island’s Independence Day, on
Sunday, May 3, 2026 at Spell Hall, 50 Taft St. Coventry, Rhode Island from 10:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.

Sponsored by the Rhode Island 250th Commission, the Battle of Rhode Island
Association, Fresh Adventures, and the Gen. Nathanael Greene Homestead
Association, this day of talks, drills, and demonstrations will speak to the lesser known
stories of Rhode Island in the Revolution.

Robert A. Geake (Public Historian & Host) will discuss the General’s household in
Coventry, including the enslaved domestic workers who lived there – two of whom
accompanied Greene during the War. He will discuss Greene’s support for enlisting
enslaved men as soldiers, offering them a path to freedom. He will also examine the
turmoil Greene faced after the war, including his enslavement of confiscated laborers
in an attempt to recover from mounting debts, and the tragic outcome for these
enslaved following his untimely death.

Michelle Girasole (Founder of the RI250 Quest) will talk about the remarkable life of
Catharine “Caty” Greene, the wife of Nathanael and often his companion at
encampments during the war. Caty’s engaging personality, wit, and knowledge of
language and politics allowed her to uplift morale among the officers and their wives
during the war, and secure Congressional reimbursement for her husband’s sizeable
wartime debts after his death.

Jon Rossetti (Great Wolf, of the Tahasset tribe of the Nipmuc Nation) introduces
the little known involvement of New England tribes including the Narragansett,
Niantic, Nipmuc and other indigenous peoples from Southern New England. These
men became soldiers, mariners,  privateers, and waggoneers throughout the war.
Their often overlooked contributions need to be spoken of and acknowledged in the
ongoing oral histories of native peoples.

Ongoing demonstrations include cooking and homemade goods from Wedges of Time,
and Blacksmithing by Joshua Wojner, Vice-President of the Greene Homestead
Association, as well as a living history encampment with the Kingston Reds.

Also, Fresh Adventures and the Battle of Rhode Island Association are pleased to kick
off their statewide scavenger hunt series, “Revolutionary RI250 Quest” at this event.
Teams competing for prizes will be able to pick up their race kits, t-shirts and game
codes that day, starting at 10:00 a.m. Participants can enjoy the GPS-enabled
competition on site, learning more about the legacies of General Greene and his wife,
Catharine Littlefield Greene, and the history of the Homestead property, while earning
points towards the competition. Learn more on RI250Quest.com.