Newport Historical Society

What Newport Historical Society does

The Newport Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered in 1854 to collect, preserve, and interpret Newport County's history spanning five centuries. Headquartered at 82 Touro Street in Newport, Rhode Island, the Society maintains six historic properties in downtown Newport — including the Colony House (1739), the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House (host to the new Center for Black History), the Great Friends Meeting House, and the Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House — and stewards collections of approximately 10,000 objects, 12,000 books, 1,500+ linear feet of manuscript materials, and more than 300,000 photographs. Its offerings include an award-winning walking tour program, rotating exhibitions, the peer-reviewed Newport History Journal (published since 1912), venue rentals, genealogy and property research services, image-reproduction services, and academic fellowships, all anchored by the Richard I. Burnham Resource Center and an NHS Collections Online digital database.

The Society generates revenue across seven distinct streams: annual membership dues ($40 Scholar to $1,000 1854 Society tiers, plus business memberships up to $2,500), paid admissions (Colony House at $10/$5, new Center for Black History at $14/$6), themed walking tours, venue rentals for weddings and events, fee-based research and staff photography services, image reproduction and photocopy fees, and donations/annual-fund contributions supplemented by grants. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer ticketing for tourists, partnership-based outreach through Discover Newport and other Old Quarter cultural institutions, and community-driven programming through school groups, the Buchanan Burnham Summer Scholars fellowship, and the History Space network of partner organizations. The Society reaches heritage tourists, K-12 schools, academic researchers, genealogists, Newport County residents, and local business sponsors, with the 2026 America250 Semiquincentennial cycle and the new Center for Black History representing its most material recent programming expansions.

The underlying technology stack is conventional rather than proprietary: a hosted collections database (collections.newporthistory.org), a Matterport 3D virtual museum tour, and a suite of scripted interactive web exhibits (Stamp Act Newport, Mapping the Newport Experience, Spectacle of Toleration). No AI/ML, mobile application, or developer-facing API is offered. Strategic positioning leans heavily on physical-distribution advantages (six walkable historic properties) and the irreplaceable nature of the underlying collection, augmented by formal partnerships with the National Park Service, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Rhode Island Semiquincentennial Commission.

Name

Newport Historical Society

Legal name

Newport Historical Society

Website

https://newporthistory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1854

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Newport Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1854 that preserves and interprets Newport County's history through six historic properties, an award-winning walking tour program, exhibitions, research services, and collections spanning 300,000+ photographs and manuscripts, serving heritage tourists, scholars, schools, members, and local residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Society and Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Historical preservation
• Museum education
• Walking tour services
• Genealogy research
• Exhibition programming

Headquarters

HQ city

New England

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership subscriptions at multiple tiers ranging from $40 to $1,000, providing recurring revenue with benefits including free admission, discounts on tours and research services, journal subscriptions, and reciprocal museum benefits.
2. Tour and Admission Fees: Revenue from walking tours, property admissions, and special exhibitions. Colony House admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and military; Center for Black History admission is $14 for adults, $6 for youth.
3. Donations and Annual Fund: Tax-deductible charitable donations supporting preservation of Newport County's historical legacy. The society is a 501(c)(3) organization.
4. Research Services: Fee-based research services including property research, genealogy, house histories, and archival research. Staff research is charged at $100/hour for non-members and $75/hour for members.
5. Venue Rentals: Rental income from historic properties including Colony House (capacity 160-220), Great Friends Meeting House, and Leatherman Program Center at Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House (capacity 65) for weddings and events.
6. Image and Reproduction Fees: Fees for digital image reproductions, high-resolution scans, photocopies, and permission to publish images from collections. Photo archive high-res scans are $20-25 per image; staff photography is $50-75 per hour.
7. Historic House Markers: Sale of custom historic house markers priced at $350, commemorating properties with original owner's name, construction details, and NHS insignia.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Newport Historical Society preserves, interprets, and provides public access to Newport County's five centuries of history. It operates six historic properties, an award-winning walking tour program, museum exhibitions (including the Edward W. Kane and Martha J. Wallace Center for Black History), a research library and resource center housing 10,000+ objects and 300,000+ photographs, and the peer-reviewed Newport History Journal. Paid offerings include tour tickets, admissions, venue rentals, fee-based research services, image reproductions, and custom historic house markers.

Product overview

Newport Historical Society offers a comprehensive portfolio of historical preservation, education, and public history products and services centered on Newport County's five-century history. Core offerings include Newport History Tours (award-winning walking tour program with multiple thematic routes), the Edward W. Kane and Martha J. Wallace Center for Black History (opened June 2026), and access to six historic properties including the Colony House, Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, Great Friends Meeting House, and others. The society operates the Richard I. Burnham Resource Center housing extensive collections (10,000+ objects, 12,000+ books, 300,000+ photographs). Major exhibitions include the 'OCCUPIED! Newport and the Fight for Independence' traveling exhibition and the 'Charting History' traveling exhibit available for institutional lending. Research services encompass property research, genealogy, and house histories. The society publishes the peer-reviewed Newport History Journal (since 1912) and maintains NHS Collections Online digital database. Additional offerings include venue rentals, academic fellowships, the annual Newport Show fundraising event, and membership programs ranging from $40 Scholar to $1,000 1854 Society levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Newport History Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• NHS has collected and preserved Newport's history since 1854, with collections originating thirty years earlier

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner collaborating on programs and events. Listed as a founding partner of History Space network.
• Charter BooksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner supporting the History Space collaborative network.
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner collaborating on Black history programming and community events including the Center for Black History initiatives.
• National Park FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner supporting America's 250th anniversary celebrations and historical preservation initiatives.
• National Park ServiceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner for Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail and preservation projects. Sponsors OCCUPIED! exhibition.
• Redwood Library & AthenaeumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric Newport cultural institution collaborating on History Space network and Old Quarter institutions cooperation.
• Rhode Island Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState historical society partner collaborating on preservation and public history initiatives through History Space network.
• Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic TrailflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Historic Trail partner sponsoring the OCCUPIED! exhibition and supporting French in Newport annual event celebrating the Revolutionary War alliance.
• National Endowment for the HumanitiesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal humanities agency sponsoring the OCCUPIED! Newport and the Fight for Independence exhibition.
• Rhode Island Semiquincentennial Commission (RI250)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerState commission coordinating Rhode Island's participation in America's 250th anniversary celebrations. Co-sponsor of OCCUPIED! exhibition.
• Rhode Island Society Sons of the RevolutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric organization sponsoring the OCCUPIED! exhibition highlighting Newport's Revolutionary War history.
• The Society of the CincinnaticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHereditary society founded by Revolutionary War officers, sponsoring the OCCUPIED! exhibition.
• Fort Adams TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization managing Fort Adams, collaborating on Independence Week events including Veterans Appreciation Day.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rhode Island Historical Society: State-level historical society and confirmed NHS partner through the History Space network. Operates a museum, library, and collections with overlapping preservation, education, and research missions within the same Rhode Island market.
• Preservation Society of Newport County: Operates ten historic Newport mansions and properties for public tours, sharing the same heritage tourism customer base, downtown Newport geography, and historic preservation mission as NHS.
• Historic New England: Regional heritage preservation organization operating 36+ historic house museums across New England. Closely comparable nonprofit model, property portfolio, and earned-revenue approach to historic site interpretation.
• Massachusetts Historical Society: One of America's oldest historical organizations (founded 1791), operating a research library, manuscript collections, and public programming with a comparable nonprofit governance and academic-tourism hybrid model.
• Connecticut Historical Society: Statewide historical society operating a museum, library, and educational programs with a directly comparable operating model: collections, research services, exhibits, and membership-based nonprofit governance.

Peers

• Plimoth Patuxet Museums: Operating historic sites in Plymouth, MA with immersive living-history programming, walking tours, school field trips, and digital exhibits. Highly comparable visitor experience and education-focused revenue model for the New England heritage tourism market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NewportHistory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/newport-historical-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/newporthistory
• Xx.com/NewportHistory_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Newport Historical Society