Women During the American Revolution
2026-05-23 09:30 - 11:00 (America/Chicago)
Smith’s Castle historian Marilyn Harris will talk about “Women During the American Revolution”.
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Brass Attack!
2026-06-07 16:30 - 18:30 | Smith’s Castle, 55 Richard Smith Drive, North Kingstown, RI, 02852
Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Food trucks and BYO picnic welcome.

The Untold Story: Rhode Island African Americans as Loyalists
2026-06-09 18:00 - 19:00 | Smith’s Castle, 55 Richard Smith Drive, North Kingstown, RI, 02852
Jamestown historian Peter Fay
The pivotal role African Americans played in helping the British suppress rebel resistance in Rhode Island in the early years of the War of Independence has been largely overlooked. In 1775, General Nathanael Greene of Warwick condemned the burning of rebel houses in Jamestown, noting that “Col. Joseph Wanton’s Negroes piloted [British Captain] Wallace’s crew about the island and pointed out the houses to burn.”
Peter Fay examines why such acts of agency by Black loyalists have been largely excluded by historians, while narratives of Black patriotism, especially the celebrated Black Regiment, have been elevated. Recovering these untold stories from the historical record and examining their erasure will shed much light on the racial-political lens through which America still views itself today.

Arthur Bowler: In Slavery and Freedom
2026-06-14 16:30 - 17:30
Colonial Tea: Dr. Jane Lancaster
We’ll follow the extraordinary odyssey taken by an “ordinary” enslaved man in the 18th century.
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The Second American Revolution
2026-06-23 18:00 - 19:00 | Smith’s Castle, 55 Richard Smith Drive, North Kingstown, RI, 02852
Historian Christian McBurney will give a presentation. The second American Revolution: Rhode Island’s role in the Abolition movement in the North, 1763 to 1784.
RI historian Christian McBurney will speak on the RI and Providence Plantations’ role in the abolition movement in the North during the Revolutionary period. McBurney has authored several books on RI history and is the founder and editor of the Online Review of Rhode Island History.

Stephen Hopkins: The Complicated Life of RI's Founding Father
2026-06-27 09:30 - 10:30 | Smith’s Castle, 55 Richard Smith Drive, North Kingstown, RI, 02852
Trustee and OLLIE instructor Mark Burnham
Come learn about the complicated life of one of RI’s Founding Fathers, Stephen Hopkins, and how this self-taught person helped shape political and economic life in the U.S. colonies. We’ll look at some events in Rhode Island leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and shortly thereafter, all through his eyes and experiences.
