Operating Schedule
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Visitor Info
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Tours, Groups, Exclusive Experiences
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History of Newport and the Mansions
Founded in 1639, Newport was an important port city, a center of the slave trade, a fashionable resort and the summer home of the Gilded Age rich.
What was the Gilded Age?
The Gilded Age was a period of unprecedented change in America. Fortunes were spent on luxuries such as the lavish "summer cottages" of Newport.
Deep Dive into the Show
Learn about the people, places and events depicted in Julian Fellowes' popular historical drama series.
Current Members
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Become a Member
We invite you to become a member of the Preservation Society today. In addition to joining an active community of preservation supporters and advocates, members are offered unlimited access to all open houses.
About Us
Our mission is to protect, preserve, and present the best of Newport County's architectural heritage. Learn more about us and our work.
Wind Farm Federal Appeal: FAQs
The Preservation Society of Newport County is appealing federal agency approval of two massive wind farms off the Rhode Island coast.
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IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE IS SOLD OUT; REGISTRATION FOR ZOOM ATTENDANCE CLOSES AT 4 PM TODAY
This program includes selections from the opening season of the Metropolitan Opera in 1883, featured in Season 2 of HBO’s “The Gilded Age.” Music of European composers, as well as elite Black composers like Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Ulysses J. Alsdorf, will be featured in the first half. The second half will center on musical life in Newport with pieces performed at Chateau-sur-Mer in 1857, Newport’s Naval Academy Ball of 1865, the Casino and more. The music of composer Imre Széchényi (1825-1898), relative by marriage to Countess Gladys Széchényi, formerly Vanderbilt, will also be explored. Drs. Mark Stickney and Christopher Brellochs will provide the historical background.
For more information, email programrsvp@newportmansions.org.
Dr. Mark A. Stickney was appointed the Artistic Director of the Seacoast Wind Ensemble in 2016. Throughout his 20-year college teaching career, he held conducting, brass teaching and music education positions at the Community College of Rhode Island, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Plymouth State University, Salve Regina University and Southern Utah University. An active clinic and guest conductor, Dr. Stickney has traveled throughout the country working with bands and orchestras of all levels. Dr. Stickney is the founder of Historic Music of Newport, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the rich musical heritage of the city (www.historicmusicofnewport.org). He also works part-time for The Preservation Society of Newport County and serves on the board of Newport Live. He received his BA in Music and Religion from Gettysburg College, his MA in Tuba Performance from Montclair State University and his DMA in Wind Conducting from Rutgers University.
Dr. Christopher Brellochs is an internationally recognized conductor, lecturer, saxophonist, music historian and educator. A preeminent scholar on music of the Gilded Age, he portrayed composer/conductor John Knowles Paine in Julian Fellowes’ HBO series "The Gilded Age" (Season 1, Episode 4) and assisted the production team with the historical accuracy of the scene. Brellochs has created a documentary series featuring music in historic mansions (www.youtube.com/cbrellochs), wrote a blog series about the music in "The Gilded Age" series and maintains “Music of the Gilded Age” Facebook and Instagram pages to share his research. His world premiere recording of Aaron Copland’s complete incidental music to "Quiet City" received radio play on National Public Radio: Weekend Edition and Performance Today. Brellochs is Dean of the School of Music at SUNY Schenectady and an Adjunct Artist in Music at Vassar College. He holds degrees in music from Rutgers University (DMA), New York University (MA), and Ithaca College (BM).
Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.
See and hear how the other half lived. This tour will highlight the stories of some of the men and women who worked to service the social whirl of Newport during the Gilded Age.* May 11-May 31, tour will be offered daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm. June 1-Aug. 31, 10:30 am, 2 pm & 3:30 pm. Sept. 1-Oct. 14, 10:30 & 3:30. Oct. 15-Jan. 1, 2025, 10:30 & 2:30.
This exhibition explores a largely unknown but important chapter in American history: the experience of a thriving African heritage community in Newport.
Get your garden going or find nice springtime and Mother's Day gifts for friends and family! A variety of flowers, vegetables and specialty plants are available while supplies last.
Rhode Island Black Heritage Society scholars will interpret the evolution of Black Civil Rights movements in Newport from the beginnings of the 18th-century Free African Societies to the formation of Colored Women Clubs during the Gilded Age.
Fans of HBO’s "The Gilded Age" will love this guide-led tour of locations in four of the Newport Mansions where the show was filmed. Tuesdays and Fridays only, May 17 through June 28. Tickets now available.
The 28th annual edition of New England’s premier flower show explores the theme "At Home," celebrating the beauty and inspiration that flowers and plants bring to the spaces in which we live. Tickets now available.
Save the dates for the 19th annual festival, featuring the Vintner Dinner, Sunday Brunch and tasty yet educational seminar experiences.
Download our tour app before your visit and bring your earbuds.
Parking is free onsite at all properties except for Hunter House and The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, where street parking is available.
Answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Explore the 11 properties under the stewardship of the Preservation Society and open as historic house museums.
Partners in Preservation
