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Jamestown Historical Society
Jamestown, Rhode Island
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The Jamestown Historical Society
Through the generous support of our donors and members, JHS keeps the story of Jamestown alive by creating exhibitions, preserving historic structures, and presenting programs and events that educate and inspire.
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Become a Member
The Jamestown Historical Society provides many benefits and opportunities to members: first access to JHS outings, exclusive member-only social events, tours, openings, and the JHS newsletter.
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Latest from JHS
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Upcoming Events
Celebrating Freedom: A Stopping Stone for Orman Remington
05/02/2026
1:00 PM
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4:00 PM
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JHS Presentation: Food in the Revolutionary Era Keith Stavely and Kathleen Fitzgerald
05/06/2026
4:00 PM
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5:00 PM
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Talk and Book Signing
05/13/2026
1:30 PM
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2:30 PM
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Events Calendar
The JHS Collection
Forts
The location of Jamestown on Conanicut Island and the surrounding islands has always been strategic for the coastal defenses of Narragansett Bay. Fort Dumpling was built in the late 19th century. During the world wars, Jamestown hosted Fort Greble, Fort Getty and Fort Wetherill.
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Postcard Collection
Our collection of Jamestown postcards roughly span the years 1900 to present day. The importance of postcards cannot be under estimated as it gives us a wealth of knowledge about how our neighborhoods and town looked and may be in some cases, our only record.
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Films
Home movies preserve for us cinematic events that are poignant reminders of past family activities, vacations or special events. Originally home movies usually limited the movie maker to about three minutes per roll, so often one roll would consist of short vignettes with unrelated subject matter.
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Ferry Boats & Bridges
Getting to Conanicut Island is important to Jamestown. Ferryboats were in service for over 300 years. The first bridge to connect Jamestown was built across the West Passage in 1940. The Newport-Pell bridge across the East Passage in 1969. A large part of the collection is the history of the ferryboats and effects of the bridges.
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National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government’s official list of properties that are significant in American history and worthy of preservation. Sites in Jamestown including the Jamestown Windmill and the Beavertail Light are listed on the National Register.
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Search the Collection
Search across the entire Jamestown Historical Society archive by keyword or phrase, searching across multiple fields for any cataloged item.
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Explore Our Interactive Map
Plan your trip to Jamestown’s historic sites and learn its history through its artifacts.
JHS Interactive Map
Featured Exhibits
Summer Exhibit 2025
Land Agreement Document
Jamestown in the Resort Era
Rhode Tour App: Jamestown Forts
Jamestown Organizations: Creating a Community
The summer 2025 exhibition in the Jamestown Museum tells the stories of Jamestown organizations and how they affected the growth and development of our island community.
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Land Agreement Document
The original, signed prepurchase agreement was acquired by the Jamestown Historical Society in 2005. The exhibit also contains panels explaining the document, an image of each page of the agreement, and a transcript of it.
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Jamestown in the Resort Era
The Resort Era is celebrated in a permanent exhibit in the back stairwell of the Jamestown Town Hall. Original hotel signs and enlarged photographs of all the major hotels and some of the smaller inns are displayed.
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Rhode Tours: Jamestown Forts
Rhode Tour is a smartphone app and website that uses text, sound, and images to bring Rhode Island stories to the palm of your hand. Open Rhode Tour and the map shows you stories near your location.
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Historic Sites
Jamestown Windmill
Built in 1787 and in operation until 1896, the old Jamestown windmill stands high on Windmill Hill in the center of the island. It is a three-story octagonal structure with a domed cap or bonnet. The bonnet holds the sails and can turn to capture the wind from any direction.
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Conanicut Battery
Since the restoration of the park in 2002, the Jamestown Historical Society has worked with the town to maintain the historic elements within the Conanicut Battery Historic Park. Ever other year, the society sponsors Battery Day to celebrate the history of the park.
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Jamestown Museum
The Jamestown Historical Society’s museum building at 92 Narragansett Avenue was originally built in 1885 as a one-room primary school.  In 1971 when the current library was built, the Jamestown Historical Society leased the old library for use as a museum.
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Meetinghouse
The Conanicut Friends Meeting was established by the Newport Quaker Monthly Meeting in 1684. The current meetinghouse is a simple rectangular building, built at the same time as the windmill in 1787 and shingled in a manner similar to the larger structure.
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Jamestown Philomenian Library
Each exhibit in the Jamestown Historical Society display case in the lobby of the Jamestown Philomenian Library tells the story of some aspect of Jamestown’s history using documents and artifacts from the society’s collection. The exhibit is changed every six to eight weeks.
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Town Hall
The Town of Jamestown is very proud of its history, and Jamestown Historical Society exhibits are used throughout the Town Hall building to explain the town’s past.
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JHS Vault
When the Town of Jamestown built the new Town Hall in 2006-2007, the Jamestown Historical Society contributed $50,000 to the building fund to purchase a 99-year lease on a vault in the basement of the new building.
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Collect
JHS has shown an unyielding commitment to gathering historical artifacts, starting with the saving of the Jamestown Windmill in 1904. Since then, JHS has amassed an extensive archive including artifacts, photographs, postcards, flags, signs, military and colonial records. Each item embodies Jamestown's rich heritage.
Preserve
Preservation lies at the heart of JHS. From the meticulous restoration of the Jamestown Windmill to the environmentally controlled vault built in the Town Hall, the society ensures that every piece of history remains intact for future generations. In 2006, JHS unveiled a long-range plan, emphasizing the modernization of facilities for optimal care of its invaluable collections.
Share
Sharing Jamestown's rich history with the world is integral to JHS's mission. With the Jamestown museum as a centerpiece for public engagement, and initiatives like digitizing records and online cataloging, JHS remains at the forefront of making history both accessible and interactive for enthusiasts and scholars alike.
The JHS Mission
Collect
Preserve
Share
Learn More About JHS
Become a JHS Member
Help preserve & share the history of Jamestown, RI. Maintain the Museum, the Windmill, the Meetinghouse and the Conanicut Battery. Preserve the Society’s collection of documents, photographs and artifacts.
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Sign up if you do not want to become a member at this time, but would like to receive the JHS public announcements, articles, and news updates. Members do not need to sign up here as they will automatically receive all this and invitations to members-only events as well when they join. The JHS will never share the email addresses in our database.
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The Jamestown
Historical Society
PO Box 156
Jamestown, RI
02835
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