The Preservation Society of Newport County will open Hunter House to the public for the first time in nearly three years, offering a new guided tour that explores the lives of the many occupants of the 18th-century house.
Guided tours of this iconic house dating back to Newport’s colonial era will be offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from August 5 through September 4, and Saturdays and Sundays from September 10 through October 2. There will be six tours per day, each limited to eight persons. Tickets will not be sold onsite; advance tickets can be purchased at www.NewportMansions.org or by visiting a ticket sales station at The Breakers, Marble House or The Elms.
“We look forward to reintroducing Hunter House to visitors and telling a more complete story of its past,” Preservation Society CEO and Executive Director Trudy Coxe said. “Our staff and fellows have done extensive research, and we are excited to provide an engaging new understanding of this historically significant property.”
The research featured in the new tour of Hunter House was conducted by Preservation Society Research Fellows Catherine Doucette and MaryKate Smolenski, and was partially funded through a Deaf F. Failey grant from The Decorative Arts Trust. The new tour highlights never-before-told stories about the people who lived and worked there, including enslaved individuals. Visitors will also learn about Hunter House’s outstanding collection of fine and decorative arts.
A rare surviving waterfront home from Newport’s colonial era, Hunter House was the first property rescued by the Preservation Society in June of 1945. It was built around 1748 for Deputy Governor Jonathan Nichols and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968.
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