Rhode Island Historical Society

The Rhode Island Historical Society operates two museums: The John Brown House Museum in Providence and the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket.

Each museum offers insights into Rhode Island's history at different points in a larger continuum. The John Brown House allows visitors to discover the history of Rhode Island from the colonial period through the mid-19th-century. The Museum of Work & Culture then continues the next century of that narrative, exploring themes of immigration and labor.

Both museums offer free field trips to all educational groups, including K-12 public and private school students, homeschool families, colleges and universities, and scout groups. They also offer changing gallery spaces, offering extensions of the museum's themes.

The Newell D. Goff Center for Education & Public Programs provides a variety of educational and program opportunities for the public each year.

Educational offerings include free field trips to the John Brown House Museum and the Museum of Work & Culture for all students, as well as a bus fund for Title 1 schools in Rhode Island. Additionally, we provde an ever-expanding digital Rhode Island History textbook that provides essays, primary sources, and lesson plans covering topics ranging from the history of the Narragansett to the Civil Rights movement. We also organize National History Day in Rhode Island, our state's competition, and offer free registration for all Rhode Island students. We also provide access to free professional development for educators.

Additionally, each year we welcome thousands to dozens of in-person and virtual public programs created to highlight lesser-known histories, promote local and national partners, and create contemporary connections to the past.