HISTORIC BRISTOL WALKING TOURS
THE TOURS
A variety of historians lead tours along the waterfront and through the streets of downtown Bristol as well as through some of the nearby cemeteries and neighborhoods.
Tours are also listed on the BH&PS CALENDAR page.
Most tour tickets are $10 for BH&PS members and $15 for non-members and may be purchased at the start of the tour .
Note: Guests or family members coming to visit in Bristol? Or maybe your organization would like a specially guided tour of downtown Bristol? If so, we can do this!! Let us know in advance as to when and where and how many people you have in mind. Give us a call at 401-253-7223 or send an email to info@bhpsri.org.
UPCOMING WALKING TOURS
10 AM ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
SITES OF ENSLAVEMENT IN BRISTOL, RI
Enslavement runs deeper in Bristol’s history than you might expect. In fact, the DeWolfs and Linden Place are just a start; enslaved people lived in many of the houses that still stand on Bristol's streets from the first years of the town’s founding.
Join BH&PS Director Catherine Zipf on a walking tour to look at some of these sites and explore what we know and what we don’t (yet) know about the experiences of the enslaved in Bristol. Based on ongoing research, this tour stops at the end of Bristol's period of enslavement and sets the stage for continued conversation around the free Black experience in Bristol.
Tickets may be purchased at the start of the tour and cost $15 for General Admission/$10 for BH&PS members.
Open to the public.
The Bristol Historical & Preservation Society seeks to stimulate interest in the history of Bristol, Rhode Island, through education, research, and the collection and preservation of historic objects. Bristol has a rich and vibrant history, and the BH&PS is excited to explore this history in as many ways as possible. Keep an eye on our website for even more to come!
While this tour’s narrative is deeply entrenched in our history, it is also at times a difficult topic to explore. To learn more about how this tour was researched and what has been recently discovered, we invite you to follow the Bristol County Enslaved History Project at substack.com/@bcehp.
To learn more about Bristol’s post-enslavement African American history and Bristol’s New Goree neighborhood, join us for the Faces of Wood Street walking tour on October 24 at 10am.
10 AM ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
HURRICANES & GALES
As a waterfront town, for better and for worse, Bristol’s history has been shaped by its connection to the water. BH&PS Historian Rei Battcher will weave a tale of the ways that Bristol’s streets have changed in response to major weather events. The tour will include looking at how these forces of nature have affected buildings, streets, and even the actual shape of our town.
Tickets may be purchased at the start of the tour and cost $15 for General Admission/$10 for BH&PS members.
Open to the public.
10 AM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
10 AM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
10 AM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
REVOLUTIONARY MAYHEM: THE BOMBARDMENT OF BRISTOL IN 1775
On the afternoon of October 7, 1775, a squadron of British ships, led by Captain James Wallace, left Newport and sailed into Bristol. After firing a salute, the town’s leaders were asked to meet Wallace to discuss British demands. The residents refused. The British then bombarded the town with cannon balls and shells for about an hour and a half.
Meanwhile, Captain Simeon Potter, former pirate, privateer, and slave trader, boarded Wallace’s ship and negotiated a cease-fire. Wallace demanded 200 sheep and 30 cattle, but the town was unable to comply, not having sufficient stock. Eventually, the British accepted 40 sheep in exchange for a peaceful departure from Bristol. Remnant cannonballs and other shot from the bombardment are held in the BH&PS collections.
TOUR BEGINS AT BH&PS, 48 COURT STREET, BRISTOL
$15 Non Members, $10 for BH&PS Members
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
10 AM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
10 AM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
10 AM ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
THE FACES OF WOOD STREET
The tour begins with a brief introduction to Bristol’s history of immigration and the opportunity to view the BH&PS’s 2026 Exhibit, Bristol Immigration 1850-1940: A Beautiful and Complex Tapestry.
Then, BH&PS Board member and long time tour guide Lynn Smith will lead visitors on an exploration of the sites and stories associated with the people who lived on this important Bristol thoroughfare.
Sometimes the landscape tells a clear story of the people who built and settled into a neighborhood, and sometimes the history needs more context and uncovering. The many churches in the area give us clues of who immigrated to and settled in this area— St Elizabeth's Church and the Portuguese; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the Italians, St. Mary's and the Irish. But what about the church built around 1850 that has disappeared? The church built by the free African-descended people who moved here and built their community here? Lynn will tell this story through the lives of just a few of the neighborhood’s fascinating people.
TOUR BEGINS AT BH&PS, 48 COURT STREET, BRISTOL
$15 Non Members, $10 for BH&PS Members
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC