Newport, Rhode Island Historical Timeline
1600’s
| 1635 | William Blackstone becomes the first Rhode Island settler | |
| 1636 | Roger Williams flees Massachusetts and founds Providence |
| 1637 | Anne Hutchinson founded a settlement after being banished from Massachusetts | |
| 1639 | Williams founds the first Baptist Church in America; William Coddington and Nicholas Easton split from Ann Hutchinson’s settlement in Pocasett to form Newport |
| 1654 | Williams is elected president of the combined colonies of Providence, Newport, Narragansett and Warwick | |
| 1657 | First Quaker residents come to Newport |
| 1658 | First Jewish residents come to Newport | |
| 1675-1676 | King Philip’s War is fought between colonists and Native Americans |
| 1680 | Newport becomes one of America’s leading ports | |
| 1698 | Trinity Church, oldest Episcopal Church in RI, founded |
1700's
| 1724 | Property ownership qualifications established for voters | |
| 1727 | Boundary disputes resolved with Connecticut |
| 1750 | Redwood Library completed | |
| 1759 | Construction began on the “Jews Synagogue” in Newport, later named Touro Synagogue |
| 1763 | Completion of the “Jews Synagogue” | |
| 1774 | Rhode Island prohibited further importation of slaves |
| 1776 | Rhode Island became the first American colony to declare independence from Britain; Stephen Hopkins, Chief Justice & Governor of Rhode Island signed the Declaration of Independence | |
| 1777-1778 | British forces occupy Newport, Colonial troops fled to Bristol |
| 1778 | Battle of Rhode Island, partial victory but failed to oust the British | |
| 1779 | British forces evacuated Rhode Island |
| 1780-1781 | French troops occupied Newport | |
| 1783 | Catholics receive the same rights as Protestants |
| 1784 | Emancipation Act passed; provided for gradual abolition of slaves | |
| 1790 | Rhode Island became Nation’s 13th state; President George Washington visits Newport to bring the message of religious tolerance |
1800’s
| 1812 | Rhode Island refused to participate in the War of 1812 | |
| 1843 | State constitution adopted |
| 1847 | State’s first train ran | |
| 1852 | St. Mary’s Church, oldest Catholic Church in RI, was dedicated |
| 1861-1865 | 25, 236 Rhode Islanders fought in Civil War; 1,685 died | |
| 1866 | Racial segregation abolished |
| 1870 | Wickford Railroad and Steamboat Company begins steamboat services | |
| 1878 | Newport Hospital established | |
| 1884 | Naval War College opened on Coasters Harbor Island off Newport |
1900’s
| 1936 | Rhode Island celebrated 300 Year Anniversary | |
| 1969 | Newport Bridge opened between Jamestown and Newport |