A Day in Newport, Rhode Island

A damp dreary day did not stop us from enjoying this wonderful city.  We went to see an exhibit at the Rose Cliff Mansion (where the movie The Great Gatsby was filmed in 1974).  There are many magnificent mansions, called “cottages”, in Newport but this is one of my favorites.  The exhibit focused on the African American presence in Newport during the Gilded Age.

We had first stopped at a memorial garden in Portsmouth, RI dedicated to my 8th and 9th great grandmothers.  Both were involved with the founding of the state which had the first laws protecting religious freedom in the world.  Their compact later formed the basis of the US Bill of Rights.  Mary was hanged in Boston in 1660 for advocating for the rights of Quakers and Anne and many of her chi,Daren were later massacred on Long Island, NY because she was mistaken for Dutch who were killing Native Americans in the area.

We finished the day at the restaurant at the 19th century Newport Casino home of the oldest and one of the last grass tennis courts in America.  More collages in the extras.