An exhibit celebrating 250 years of Rhode Island opened at the South County Museum in Narragansett, offering visitors a deeper look into the state’s rich and complex history.
The exhibit invites guests to explore Rhode Island’s past to better understand the state’s beginnings and how it changed as technology evolved. With an impressive display of antique artifacts, visitors can explore multiple generations of Rhode Island history.
The items include toys, tools and textile art pieces. Museum curator Rebecca J. Kelly ’02 joined the museum last year, partially because of the extensive textile art collection.
Kelly earned a master’s degree in fashion and textiles from the University of Rhode Island in 2002. She later returned to URI in 2017, where she continues to teach while serving as curator of the museum.
The South County Museum itself has a complicated past. Currently, it sits on Canochet Farm. Rhode Island Governor William Sprague purchased the property in 1850, according to the museum’s website. Sprague and his wife built a Victorian-style home on the property and named it Canochet, after a Narragansett Sachem, or leader, who led the Narragansett people during the Great Swamp Fight of 1675.
Though the building is no longer the same Victorian-style house, the 20,000 artifacts inside the building make it easy to imagine.
Founded in 1933, the museum was first located in Wickford, according to the museum website. Originally called the South County Barn Museum, it was established by prominent businessmen. The men hoped to preserve traditional Rhode Island technology in the face of rapid development.
The original museum was a series of shops, highlighting a variety of skills such as gardening or textiles. The museum was only open two days a week and admission was 25 cents.
The museum then moved to a dairy barn in North Kingstown in 1937, then again to a new building in 1975, before settling at the location in Narragansett.
Kelly said that she has worked to make the museum a more interactive experience for visitors. The museum offers skill workshops where attendees can learn the basics of blacksmithing or tie-dyeing with natural dyes. The museum also hosts guest speakers who host specialized workshops.
Kelly expanded the museum’s reach in other ways as well, launching a website complete with a detailed timeline of the museum’s history. She also introduced an artist-in-residence program, designed to bring artists with varying specialties to the collection.
Guests can visit the museum Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m located at 115 Strathmore Street.
