UPCOMING LECTURES, TALKS, CONVERSATIONS & MORE...

ONLINE LECTURE

Join Colleen Heemeyer, Director, Sacred Sites Program at the NY Landmarks Conservancy, as she shares her knowledge of the Guiteras Memorial School. Having written the National Register Nomination for the school, she also wrote a piece for "Rhode Island History", The Journal of the Rhode Island Historical Scoeity.

Rogers Free Library, 525 Hope Street

Herreshoff Community Room

This event will take a hands-on look at how innocuous-seeming accessories, like fans, have been used throughout time to communicate, signal–and even flirt! The workshop will explore the ways in which these accessories, inspired by the idea of the flower language, have historically been used as nonverbal communication tools, specifically in connection to romance and relationships. 

Workshop to be led by Chelsea Johnston of the BH&PS. After a short talk, participants will create a few of their own of these highly-unique accessories. All materials will be provided. 

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Bristol Historical & Preservation Society

48 Court Street, Bristol, RI

Sunday, March 8, 2026: 10 AM

Watch a revolutionary war outfit come together as Maria Vazquez, Textile Conservator, "gets dressed" in a Revolutionary-era travelling outfit, starting with the stays and underpinnings and progressing to the outer pieces, even including the hat and parasol staff. As she dresses, Maria will talk about the many layers that made-up clothing from this era and how the articles of clothing worked together to protect the body.  

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 Open to the public but space is very limited. Tickets cost $25 -- or $20 for BH&PS members.

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The Rogers Free Library, 525 Hope Street, Bristol, RI

Tuesday, March 17, 2026: 6 PM

Join local historian Eleanor Dobson as she takes us back in time to the history of the Hopeworth Sanitarium, the namesake of the neighborhood Bristol knows today. This neighborhood is located just north of Mount Hope, mere minutes from downtown Bristol. It boasts beautiful views of Mount Hope Bay and a tranquil atmosphere. These same qualities inspired Dr. Herman Canfield to establish the sanatorium on these grounds in the 1880s.

Meet Dr. Canfield and his family, explore the concept of a sanitarium (as opposed to an asylum), and examine turn of the century medical practices. Hopeworth promised the best modern medical technology of the time, recreational facilities, and, perhaps most important of all, the utmost discretion.