Stephen Hopkins and William Ellery were the representatives of the Crown Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations who signed the Declaration of Independence. There were seldom two Rhode Islanders who were more different. Hopkins was brought up in the agricultural community of Scituate, son of a farmer. He was self-educated, became a farmer himself, was a slave owner, a businessman, and later a politician. William Ellery was brought up in Newport, the son of a Harvard graduate and businessman. Like his father, he too attended Harvard, graduating at the age of 20. He was a merchant, turned lawyer and politician, and was an abolitionist.
What united the two was the Continental Congress, and their shared belief that America’s 13 colonies needed to declare independence from Great Britain. Hopkins died in 1785. Ellery lived until 1820, long enough to see the federal constitution ratified by Rhode Island on May 29, 1790 – two years, five months and twenty-two days after Delaware.
Most American fifth graders know that Rhode Island is the smallest (in area) of the United States. In total its land mass is only 1,545 square miles, with a population in 2020 of just over 1.1 million residents.
Roger Williams was a religious leader from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who is usually given credit for founding Providence in 1636 on land purchased from local tribes, where he created the first settlement in North America with an explicitly secular government.
Broadly stated, Rhode Island has prospered ever since. Brown University was founded in 1764; it was one of nine colonial colleges granted charters before the American Revolution and was the first college in America to accept students regardless of religious affiliation. Rhode Island was the first to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, on May 4, 1776. Rhode Islanders were fiercely independent people, and they led the way to having the Bill of Rights added to the American Constitution. During the American Civil War, Rhode Island was the first Union state to send troops in response to President Lincoln’s request for help from the states. In 1866, Rhode Island abolished racial segregation in its public schools, and that brings us to the Golden Age in America.
The 50 years following the Civil War were a time of prosperity and affluence that were called, “Rhode Island’s halcyon era.” In those years Rhode Island was the center of the Gilded Age and provided a home or summer home to many of the country’s most prominent industrialists. This was a time of growth in textile mills and manufacturing and brought an influx of immigrants to fill those jobs, bringing population growth and urbanization.
Newport, Rhode Island was the site where the wealthy built their grand mansions, that have become famous worldwide.
“The Breakers,” (I have always seen the name of this place in quotes, I don’t know why, but I will use them out of deference to those who have made it commonplace.) is a stunning example of Gilded Age architecture and opulence. Built between 1893 and 1895, this magnificent mansion served as the summer home of the Vanderbilt family, showcasing their immense wealth. Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, “The Breakers” features a breathtaking 70-room interior infused with Italian Renaissance influences, complete with marble columns, intricate woodwork, and lavish furnishings. The estate overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, providing spectacular views. The home is a National Historic Landmark.
The Marble House, at 596 Bellevue Avenue, is another exquisite example of Gilded Age architecture and opulence designed by Richard Morris Hunt. Hunt earned much of his wealth and reputation by designing more than thirty private homes including the Biltmore estate in North Carolina. He also created 24 public buildings, libraries, and business headquarters including the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and the main wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Commissioned by millionaire industrialist William K. Vanderbilt, the Marble House mansion was completed in 1892. Constructed primarily from white marble, the estate showcases the grandeur of its neoclassical design.
With more than fifty rooms, the Marble House features a stunning ballroom, a spacious dining room, and a secluded theater. The interiors are adorned with intricate woodwork and lush fabrics, reflecting the preferred decors of the time. The Marble House is frequently talked about in conversations about landscape gardens.
In 2006, Marble House, like the Breakers, was made a National Historic Landmark.
It should be mentioned that when Tuck made their Raphotype postcard set most of the historic homes were still in use, but today there are eleven properties that are open as historic house museums under the stewardship of the Preservation Society.
The Tuck Newport, Rhode Island, Raphotype set consists of twelve cards; the two historic homes as seen above, four schools, one historic military facility, two harbor scenes, one of Newport City Hall, and STONE ARCH and PURGATORY.
Rogers High School seen here was completed in 1905, but it is no longer a school. It has been refurbished and now functions as the Boys and Girls Club of Newport.
The card caption reads, in part: This stone arch is one of the splendid features of masonry which makes Cliff Walk famous.
The card caption reads: PURGATORY is the name given to a chasm between the cliffs; it is a vertical fissure, some 50 feet deep, into which, under certain conditions of wind and tide, the water rushes with great force, only to be violently expelled with such terrible noise as to sufficiently explain the name.