Rhode Island Historical Society Kicks Off Bicentennial with 1822 Jubilee
Event to Feature Period Entertainment, Collections, Parlor Games, and Refreshments
(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) – Join the Rhode Island Historical Society on Saturday, March 19, for the first of its Bicentennial Jubilees, featuring an 1822 open house at the Society’s Aldrich House headquarters in Providence. The program will begin at 1 p.m., with timed tickets offering entry each hour until 4 p.m.
Program attendees will be treated to a variety of 1822-inspired presentations, refreshments, and entertainment on the newly refurbished first floor of the Aldrich House. Presentations will include discussions of the history of the house and its occupants, an exhibit featuring the Society’s founding documents and collection items from the 1820s, and a gallery showcasing 18th and 19-century women’s portraits from the RIHS collections.
Guests will also be invited to sample a variety of period-inspired refreshments, as well as learn about foodways of the time with speakers from Kenyon’s Grist Mill, who will be sharing sweet treats made from their flours by Charlestown’s Quonnie Farms. Visitors will also be able to try Narragansett Brewery’s 1822 Porter, created especially for the RIHS’s bicentennial.
Additional entertainment will include performances in the ballroom by the Larksgrove Duo, featuring violinist EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks and cellist Peter Zay. The pair will perform selections from the 1820s through the mid-1800s, a rich time in classical music that bridged the classical and romantic eras and included composers such as Beethoven, Schumann, Gliere, and Pleyel. Visitors will also be welcome to engage in period parlor games organized by the RIHS’s Teen Advisory Board.
This first Bicentennial Jubilee will also mark the premiere of the RIHS’s anniversary collaboration with Frog and Toad, featuring a series of history-inspired rock T-shirts that will be unveiled throughout the year.
Tickets are $20 for RIHS members and $25 for non-members, and can be purchased at rihs.org.
The 1822 Jubilee is a part of the Rhode Island Historical Society’s Bicentennial Celebrations, sponsored by Amica Insurance.
About the Rhode Island Historical Society
The Rhode Island Historical Society, the state’s oldest and only statewide historical organization, is dedicated to honoring, interpreting and sharing Rhode Island’s past to enrich the present and inspire the future.
Founded in 1822, the RIHS is an advocate for history as a means to develop empathy and 21st -century skills, using its historical materials and knowledge to explore topics of timeless relevance and public interest.
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible public programming and educational opportunities for all Rhode Islanders through its four sites: the John Brown House Museum, the Museum of Work & Culture, the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center and the Aldrich House.
The headquarters of the Rhode Island Historical Society are located at 110 Benevolent Street, Providence, RI 02906. Information: (401) 331-8575. Website: rihs.org. Follow the RIHS on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.