DOCSLIB.ORG

Planning, Preservation and Management Plan for Butts Hill Fort, Portsmouth, RI

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Planning, Preservation and Management Plan for Butts Hill Fort, Portsmouth, RI Planning, Preservation and Management Plan for Butts Hill Fort, Portsmouth, RI A Project of the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project Funded by the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program In Partnership with Newport Collaborative Architects Planning, Preservation and Management Plan for Butts Hill Fort, Portsmouth, RI A Project of the Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project Box 1492, Newport, RI 02840 (401) 423-9701 www.rimap.org Funded by the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program Grant # GA-2255-07-015 In Partnership with Newport Collaborative Architects 38 Washington Square, Newport, RI 02840 (401) 846-9583 www.ncarchitects.com This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior © 2009 RIMAP Table of Contents Page # Sources for Illustrations . v I Executive Summary . 1 II Project Overview . 2 A Purpose . 2 B Study area . 4 C Methodology . 4 III Butts Hill Fort History and Existing Conditions . 5 A Introduction . 5 B Butts Hill Fort and its Origins . 6 C The Days leading up to the Siege of Newport: July 29 to August 15, 1778 . 6 D The Siege of Newport: August 15 to 28, 1778 . 8 E The Battle of Rhode Island: August 29-30, 1778 . 9 F After the Battle of Rhode Island: September 1, 1778 to 2009 . 14 IV Context and Threats . 23 A General Description . 23 B Key Site Characteristics . 24 1 Cultural Resources . 24 2 Archaeological Resources . 24 3 Historic View Corridors . 25 4 Open Land . 25 5 Vegetative Overgrowth . 26 6 Modern Intrusions . 26 7 Surrounding Residential Areas . 26 i C Key Threats . 26 1 Threat 1 - Invasive Vegetation . 26 2 Threat 2 - Vandalism and Illegal Activities . 27 3 Threat 3 - Lack of Awareness . 28 V Site Protections . 29 A Federal and State Policies . 29 1 The National Preservation Act of 1966 . 29 2 The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties . 30 B Local Policies . 31 1 Planning Regulations . 31 2 Zoning Regulations . 32 a Land Use Regulations . 32 b Historic Overlay Zoning . 32 c Town Council Position . 32 VI Public Priorities . 32 A Preliminary Announcement . 32 1 Workshop 1 . 33 2 Workshop 2 . 34 VII Preservation Recommendations . 35 VIII Immediate Action Plan for Preservation of Butts Hill Fort . 37 IX Butts Hill Fort Site Improvements and Maintenance Budget . 44 X The Long Term Maintenance Plan: A Summary . 45 XI Bibliography . 46 XII Appendices . 52 A Outcomes and Comments from Workshop 1 . 52 ii B Outcomes and Comments from Workshop 2 . 53 C Summary of the Cultural Materials Discovered by Previous Archaeological Surveys . 54 D Newspaper Articles for Butts Hill Fort Planning Project . 64 1 Sakonnet Times, June 11, 2008 . 64 2 Newport Daily News, August 12, 2008 . 65 3 Newport Daily News, August 15, 2008 . 66 4 Newport Daily News, August 19, 2008 . 68 E Compilation and Comparison of Historic Cartographic Images of Butts Hill Fort (with speculative graphic analysis) . 69 A portion of the 1777-1779 Edward Fage manuscript map of Aquidneck Island . 69 A portion of the 1777 Charles Blaskowitz Map of Narragansett Bay . 70 British Plan of Redoubt on Windmill Hill, June 1777 . 71 British Plan of Redoubt on Windmill Hill, December 1777 . 72 Mackenzie (British engineer) Map of Windmill Hill , July 1778 . 73 French “Plan de Rhode Island”, August 1778 . 74 Positions of British Troops after Battle, August 31, 1778 . 75 Berthier (French) Map, January 1781 . 76 Draft? of Berthier Map 1781 . 77 Berthier (French) Map, January 1781 . 78 Rochambeau Map . 79 Existing Site Plan . 80 iii SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS Page # Description 2 Pathway atop one of the intact ramparts at Butts Hill Fort (Photo by Arnold Robinson) 3 Plat map showing parcels owned by Town of Portsmouth (Courtesy Town of Portsmouth 10 Summary of troops and naval movements August 29-30, 1778 (from D. K. Abbass, 2007) 11 Suggested interpretation of troop locations during the Battle of Rhode Island (from D. K. Abbass, 2007) 13 Contemporary map of the Battle of Rhode Island (Courtesy Rhode Island State Archives) 15 View looking south from Butts Hill Fort to Quaker Hill (from Benson Lossing's Field Guide to the Revolution) 15 View looking northwest from Butts Hill Fort to Bristol (from Benson Lossing's Field Guide to the Revolution) 16 Photo from Field's 1986 Revolutionary Defences of Rhode Island 17 Portion of 1907 Atlas of Newport County showing platting for house lots at Butts Hill Fort 19 Battle of Rhode Island National Historic Landmark Districts 21 Residential areas around Butts Hill Fort 22 Existing Site Plan 23 Aerial view of Butts Hill and surrounding area 27 Large trees growing in the outer line of eastern ramparts at Butts Hill Fort (Photo by Arnold Robinson) 28 Graffiti on historical marker at Butts Hill Fort (Photo by Arnold Robinson) 29 Photo looking southwest from interior. Because of overgrowth, the existing character of the fort is abandoned and remote (Photo by Arnold Robinson) 39 Observation platform at Fort Independence, Boston, MA (Photo by Arnold Robinson) v 40 Clear trees and shrubs 41 View platforms and interpretive signage 42 Museum/Conservation/Security facility 43 Re-enactment Facilities 51 Interpretive panels at Fort Adams, Newport, RI (Photo by Arnold Robinson) 64 Sakonnet Times, June 11, 2008 65 Newport Daily News, August 12, 2008 66 Newport Daily News, August 15, 2008 67 Newport Daily News, August 19, 2008 69 A portion of the 1777-1779 Edward Fage manuscript map of Aquidneck Island, Original in the Clinton Collection, Clements Library, Ann Arbor 70 A portion of the 1777 Charles Blaskowitz Map of Narragansett Bay 71 British Plan of Redoubt on Windmill Hill, June 1777 , Original in the Clinton Collection, Clements Library, Ann Arbor, published in Babits 1979a:101. 72 British Plan of Redoubt on Windmill Hill, December 1777, Original in the Clinton Collection, Clements Library, Ann Arbor, published in Babits 1979a:102. 73 British Map of Windmill Hill, July 1778, Mackenzie (1930:308). 74 French “Plan de Rhode Island”, August 1778, Redwood Library, published in Babits 1979a:106. 75 Positions of British Troops after Battle, September 1778, published in Babits 1979a:107. 76 Berthier (French) Map, January 1781, published in Babits 1979a:108. 77 Draft? of Berthier Map, published in Babits 1979a:110. 78 Draft? of Berthier Map, published in Babits 1979a:109. 79 Rochambeau Map, published in Babits 1979a:111. 80 Existing Site Plan vi I: Executive Summary The largest extant Revolutionary War period earthwork in southeastern New England is found on the top of Butts Hill in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. This structure was originally built by American troops (1776) and expanded by the British and Hessians during their occupation of Aquidneck and Conanicut Islands (1776 to 1779). Butts Hill Fort was the center of the American line during the Battle of Rhode Island (August 29- 30, 1778). In this battle the "Black Regiment," made up of slaves serving with the Americans to gain their freedom, successfully defended nearby Ward's Redoubt from multiple Hessian assaults. Butts Hill Fort returned to American control (1779), housed French troops (1780 to 1781), and was abandoned by the end of the war (1782). The land surrounding the fort returned to agricultural uses, but the earthwork on the top of Butts Hill survived because the rocky heights were not congenial for farming. Until the end of the 19th century much of the structure remained untouched, but in the early 20th century Butts Hill Fort and the surrounding fields were platted for 200 house lots. This threat of development spurred local preservationists to buy the property and to create a park in 1923 and deed it to the Newport Historical Society. In the 1950s a school was on the south slope of Butts Hill, replaced in 1964 by the present high school. By 1934 Butts Hill Fort was overgrown and neglected, probably due to national economic difficulties. As directed by the original deed to the Newport Historical Society, the State of Rhode Island took possession of the property, and in 1968 the State transferred the property to the Town of Portsmouth. Since then attempts to manage the park have been marginally successful, although the 1970s Bicentennial years saw Butts Hill Fort named as part of the Battle of Rhode Island National Historic Landmark. In 2009 the park and earthworks at Butts Hill Fort are overgrown and abandoned, and most of the improvements made by past generations have disappeared. The trees and heavy undergrowth cover the earthwork and threaten the integrity of the historic structure. The derelict condition of the park has also introduced the opportunity for vandalism, and continued neglect has created a public safety issue. Despite the well- intentioned intermittent calls that "something should be done" to protect the earthwork, to date there has been no permanent and responsible program by which the public may understand the historic significance of Butts Hill Fort and enjoy its local beauty. The present report is a response to those calls. It recommends near-term actions by which to remediate the physical threats to the earthwork, including the removal of intrusive vegetation, the installation of interpretive signage, and the creation of walking trails and scenic views. The report also outlines a process by which long-term preservation issues for Butts Hill Fort may be addressed, including properly positioned parking, a permanent security and educational facility, various forms of public outreach 1 and site use, and especially the responsible administrative and financial infrastructures to support the mature management of this nationally significant site.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Revolutionary War and an Amsterdam Privy: the Remarkable Background of a Rhode Island Ship Token Ranjith M
    Northeast Historical Archaeology Volume 40 Article 7 2011 Revolutionary War and an Amsterdam Privy: The Remarkable Background of a Rhode Island Ship Token Ranjith M. Jayasena Follow this and additional works at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Jayasena, Ranjith M. (2011) "Revolutionary War and an Amsterdam Privy: The Remarkable Background of a Rhode Island Ship Token," Northeast Historical Archaeology: Vol. 40 40, Article 7. https://doi.org/10.22191/neha/vol40/iss1/7 Available at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha/vol40/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). It has been accepted for inclusion in Northeast Historical Archaeology by an authorized editor of The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). For more information, please contact [email protected]. Northeast Historical Archaeology/Vol. 40, 2011 123 Revolutionary War and an Amsterdam Privy: The Remarkable Background of a Rhode Island Ship Token Ranjith M. Jayasena In 2008 the City of Amsterdam Office for Monuments & Archaeology (BMA) excavated a remarkable find from a late 18th-century privy in Amsterdam’s city centre that can be directly linked to the American Revolutionary War, a 1779 Rhode Island Ship Token. Approximately twenty five examples of this token are known worldwide, but none of them come from an archaeological context. From this Amsterdam find one can examine these tokens from an entirely new aspect, namely the socio-economic context of the owner as well as the period in which the token was used. The Rhode Island Ship Token was a British propaganda piece ridiculing the weakness of the Americans in 1778 and distributed in the Netherlands to create negative views of the American revolutionaries to discourage the Dutch from intervening in the Anglo-American conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • On-Site Historical Reenactment As Historiographic Operation at Plimoth Plantation
    Fall2002 107 Recreation and Re-Creation: On-Site Historical Reenactment as Historiographic Operation at Plimoth Plantation Scott Magelssen Plimoth Plantation, a Massachusetts living history museum depicting the year 1627 in Plymouth Colony, advertises itself as a place where "history comes alive." The site uses costumed Pilgrims, who speak to visitors in a first-person­ presentvoice, in order to create a total living environment. Reenactment practices like this offer possibilities to teach history in a dynamic manner by immersing visitors in a space that allows them to suspend disbelief and encounter museum exhibits on an affective level. However, whether or not history actually "comes alive"at Plimoth Plantation needs to be addressed, especially in the face of new or postmodem historiography. No longer is it so simple to say the past can "come alive," given that in the last thirty years it has been shown that the "past" is contestable. A case in point, I argue, is the portrayal of Wampanoag Natives at Plimoth Plantation's "Hobbamock's Homesite." Here, the Native Wampanoag Interpretation Program refuses tojoin their Pilgrim counterparts in using first person interpretation, choosing instead to address visitors in their own voices. For the Native Interpreters, speaking in seventeenth-century voices would disallow presentationoftheir own accounts ofthe way colonists treated native peoples after 1627. Yet, from what I have learned in recent interviews with Plimoth's Public Relations Department, plans are underway to address the disparity in interpretive modes between the Pilgrim Village and Hobbamock's Homesite by introducing first person programming in the latter. I Coming from a theatre history and theory background, and looking back on three years of research at Plimoth and other living history museums, I would like to trouble this attempt to smooth over the differences between the two sites.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Reenactment in Photography: Familiarizing with the Otherness of the Past?
    INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES INSTITUTE OF ETHNOLOGY AND FOLKLORE STUDIES WITH ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM AT THE BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES The Multi-Mediatized Other The Construction of Reality in East-Central Europe, 1945–1980 EDITED BY DAGNOSŁAW DEMSKI ANELIA KASSABOVA ILDIKÓ SZ. KRISTÓF LIISI LAINESTE KAMILA BARANIECKA-OLSZEWSKA BUDAPEST 2017 Contents 9 Acknowledgements 11 Dagnosław Demski in cooperation with Anelia Kassabova, Ildikó Sz. Kristóf, Liisi Laineste and Kamila Baraniecka-Olszewska Within and Across the Media Borders 1. Mediating Reality: Reflections and Images 30 Dagnosław Demski Cultural Production of the Real Through Picturing Difference in the Polish Media: 1940s–1960s 64 Zbigniew Libera, Magdalena Sztandara Ethnographers’ Self-Depiction in the Photographs from the Field. The Example of Post-War Ethnology in Poland 94 Valentina Vaseva The Other Dead—the Image of the “Immortal” Communist Leaders in Media Propaganda 104 Ilkim Buke-Okyar The Arab Other in Turkish Political Cartoons, 1908–1939 2. Transmediality and Intermediality 128 Ildikó Sz. Kristóf (Multi-)Mediatized Indians in Socialist Hungary: Winnetou, Tokei-ihto, and Other Popular Heroes of the 1970s in East-Central Europe 156 Tomislav Oroz The Historical Other as a Contemporary Figure of Socialism—Renegotiating Images of the Past in Yugoslavia Through the Figure of Matija Gubec 178 Annemarie Sorescu-Marinković Multimedial Perception and Discursive Representation of the Others: Yugoslav Television in Communist Romania 198 Katya Lachowicz The Cultivation of Image in the Multimedial Landscape of the Polish Film Chronicle 214 Dominika Czarnecka Otherness in Representations of Polish Beauty Queens: From Miss Baltic Coast Pageants to Miss Polonia Contests in the 1950s 3.
    [Show full text]
  • David S. Gordon
    David S. Gordon PUBLIC SERVICE Mayor, City of Newport 1996-2000 Newport City Council, at-large member 1994-96 Newport Public Library, Board of Trustees 1993-96; 1997-2005, 2010-16 Friends of the Library, Executive Committee 1988-93; Treasurer 1988-90; President 1990-91 Department of the Navy Meritorious Public Service Award 2016 Naval War College Foundation, Trustee 2009-15, Vice Chair 2012-15 Newport Hospital, Trustee 2008-12; Newport Hospital Foundation, Vice Chair 2013-16, Secretary 2017- Newport County Fund, Rhode Island Foundation, Board of Advisors 2006-11 Gateway Design Review Committee, Chairman 2000-02 Newport Historical Society, Board of Directors 1999-02 Comprehensive Land Use Plan for the City of Newport, Citizens' Advisory Committee, Economic Development Subcommittee, Chairman 1989-93 Fort Adams Foundation, Board of Trustees 1993-2005; President’s Award for Outstanding Service 2004 Newport Art Museum, Treasurer, Board of Trustees 1989-92 Newport Restoration Foundation, Board of Trustees 2002-18 Preservation Society of Newport County, Board of Trustees 2002-08 Child and Family Services of Newport County, Board of Directors 2004-07 Stanford White Casino Theatre, Restoration Committee 2006-11 Newport County NAACP Branch Community Service Award 1999 EDUCATION INVOLVEMENT Newport School Committee 2002-05; Chairman 2002-03, 2004-05 Newport Public Schools Strategic Plan, Planning Team 1996-2001, Action Team 2001-03 Thompson Middle School Capital Campaign, Co-chairman 2000-02 University of Rochester, New England Regional Cabinet
    [Show full text]
  • David Library of the American Revolution Guide to Microform Holdings
    DAVID LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION GUIDE TO MICROFORM HOLDINGS Adams, Samuel (1722-1803). Papers, 1635-1826. 5 reels. Includes papers and correspondence of the Massachusetts patriot, organizer of resistance to British rule, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Revolutionary statesman. Includes calendar on final reel. Originals are in the New York Public Library. [FILM 674] Adams, Dr. Samuel. Diaries, 1758-1819. 2 reels. Diaries, letters, and anatomy commonplace book of the Massachusetts physician who served in the Continental Artillery during the Revolution. Originals are in the New York Public Library. [FILM 380] Alexander, William (1726-1783). Selected papers, 1767-1782. 1 reel. William Alexander, also known as “Lord Sterling,” first served as colonel of the 1st NJ Regiment. In 1776 he was appointed brigadier general and took command of the defense of New York City as well as serving as an advisor to General Washington. He was promoted to major- general in 1777. Papers consist of correspondence, military orders and reports, and bulletins to the Continental Congress. Originals are in the New York Historical Society. [FILM 404] American Army (Continental, militia, volunteer). See: United States. National Archives. Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War. United States. National Archives. General Index to the Compiled Military Service Records of Revolutionary War Soldiers. United States. National Archives. Records of the Adjutant General’s Office. United States. National Archives. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty and Warrant Application Files. United States. National Archives. Revolutionary War Rolls. 1775-1783. American Periodicals Series I. 33 reels. Accompanied by a guide.
    [Show full text]
  • Carnegie Corporation of New York a N N U a L R E P O R T 2004-2005 Carnegie Corporation of New York
    Carnegie Corporation of New York COMBINED ANNU A L R E P O R T 2004-2005 ANNU A L R E P O R T 2004-2005 Carnegie Corporation of New York Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote “the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” Under Carnegie’s will, grants must benefit the people of the United States, although up to 7.4 percent of the funds may be used for the same purpose in countries that are or have been members of the British Commonwealth, with a current emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. As a grantmaking foundation, the Corporation seeks to carry out Carnegie’s vision of philanthropy, which he said should aim “to do real and permanent good in this world.” © 2007 Carnegie Corporation of New York Contents REPORT OF THE PrESIDENT I Reflections on Encounters With Three Cultures 2004 REPORT ON PrOGRAM 1 Ongoing Evaluation Enhances the Corporation’s Grantmaking Strategies in 2004 Grants and Dissemination Awards Education International Development International Peace and Security Strengthening U.S. Democracy Special Opportunities Fund Carnegie Scholars Dissemination Anonymous $15 Million in Grants to Cultural and Social Service Institutions in New York City 2004 REPORT ON FINANCES 77 Financial Highlights 2004 REPORT ON ADMINISTRATION 91 Fiscal 2004: The Year in Review 2005 REPORT ON PrOGRAM 97 Key Programs Meet the Challenges of Maturity in 2005 Grants and Dissemination Awards Education International Development International Peace and Security Strengthening U.S. Democracy Special Opportunities
    [Show full text]
  • Rhode Island History Winter/Spring 2009 Volume 67, Number 1
    Rhode Island History Winter/Spring 2009 Volume 67, Number 1 Published by The Rhode Island Historical Society Contents 110 Benevolent Street Providence, Rhode Island 02906-3152 Cato Pearce’s Memoir: A Rhode Island Slave Narrative 3 Robert J. Manning, president William S. Simmons, first vice president Christian M. McBurney Barbara J. Thornton, second vice president Peter J. Miniati, treasurer Robert G. Flanders Jr., secretary Bernard P. Fishman, director The Forgotten Ships of the Battle of Rhode Island: Some Unpublished Documents 27 Fellow of the society Glenn W. LaFantasie D. K. Abbass Publications Committee Luther Spoehr, chair James Findlay Robert Allen Greene Robert W. Hayman Jane Lancaster J. Stanley Lemons William McKenzie Woodward Staff Elizabeth C. Stevens, editor Hilliard Beller, copy editor Silvia Rees, publications assistant The Rhode Island Historical Society assumes no responsibility for the opinions of contributors. RHODE ISLAND HISTORY is published two times a year by the Rhode Island Historical Society at 110 Benevolent Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02906-3152. Postage is paid at Providence, Rhode Island. Society members receive each issue as a membership benefit. Institutional subscriptions to RHODE ISLAND HISTORY are $25.00 annually. Individual copies of current and back issues are available from the Society for $8.00 (price includes postage and handling). Manuscripts and other ©2009 by The Rhode Island Historical Society correspondence should be sent to Dr. Elizabeth C. Stevens, editor, at the RHODE ISLAND HISTORY (ISSN 0035-4619) Society or to [email protected]. Christian McBurney, an independent historian, is a partner with the law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP in Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Slave Dwelling Project Conference
    FIFTH ANNUAL SLAVE DWELLING PROJECT CONFERENCE SLAVERY, RESISTANCE, AND COMMUNITY OCTOBER 24–27, 2018 MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE Info at slavedwellingproject.org Keynote Speaker Colson Whitehead is the New York Times No. 1 best-selling author of The Underground Railroad (winner of the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize), The Noble Hustle, Zone One, Sag Harbor, The Intuitionist, John Henry Days, Apex Hides the Hurt, and one collection of essays, The Colossus of New York. He was named New York’s state author in 2018, the 11th in history. Whitehead’s reviews, essays, and fiction have appeared in a number of publications, including The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Harper’s, The New York Times, and Granta. He has received Colson Whitehead, Image © Madeline Whitehead a MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, Whiting Writers Award, Dos Passos Prize, and a fellowship at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. Whitehead also was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for John Henry Days. He has taught at the University of Houston, Columbia University, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, New York University, Princeton University, and Wesleyan University, and he has been a Writer-in-Residence at Vassar College, the University of Richmond, and the University of Wyoming. Whitehead lives in New York City. Welcome to Middle Tennessee State University! The Center for Historic Preservation (CHP) at Middle Tennessee State University is delighted to host the fifth annual Slave Dwelling Project Conference. The CHP was established in 1984 as MTSU’s first Center of Excellence and one of the nine original centers at the state’s universities administered by the Tennessee Board of Regents at the time.
    [Show full text]
  • The Performance of the Tale of Sawney Beane at the Texas
    THE PERFORMANCE OF THE TALE OF SAWNEY BEANE AT THE TEXAS RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL A Dissertation by BRANDIE LOUISE MASSENGALE Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Thomas Green Committee Members, Norbert Dannhaeuser Robert Boenig Tazim Jamal Head of Department, Cynthia Werner December 2014 Major Subject: Anthropology Copyright 2014 Brandie Louise Massengale ABSTRACT The research presented here explores how authentic performances are created and experienced by performers by answering the following questions: (1) What performance methods are used at renaissance festivals and why are these methods chosen? (2) How do performers use these performance methods to engage themselves with history and develop personal meaning through their performances? (3) How do performers combine historical representation with self-expression? (4) How does the performance of Sawney Beane connect to general renaissance festival performance methods and festival culture? (5) How does the performance of Sawney Beane allow performers to engage with history and personal meaning? Through participant observation and informal interviews, the research presented here explores the performance methods used at the Texas Renaissance Festival and how these performance methods allow participants to engage authentically with the past, with themselves, and with each other. Comparisons are made between general renaissance performance methods and those used in the performance of Sawney Beane, revealing the connections between these performances and the subculture that permeates the festival. By focusing on the performers’ own views about their participation in these performances, the methods used here elucidate the personal benefits of participating in the renaissance festival.
    [Show full text]
  • How Narragansett Bay Shaped Rhode Island
    How Narragansett Bay Shaped Rhode Island For the Summer 2008 issue of Rhode Island History, former director of the Naval War College Museum, Anthony S. Nicolosi, contributed the article, “Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce, U.S.N, and the Coming of the Navy to Narragansett Bay.” While the article may prove too specialized to directly translate into your classroom, the themes and topics raised within the piece can fit easily into your lesson plans. We have created a handful of activities for your classes based on the role that Narragansett Bay has played in creating the Rhode Island in which we now live. The first activity is an easy map exercise. We have suggested a link to a user-friendly map, but if you have one that you prefer, please go ahead and use it! The goal of this activity is to get your students thinking about the geography of the state so that they can achieve a heightened visual sense of the bay—to help them understand its fundamental role in our development. The next exercise, which is more advanced, asks the students to do research into the various conflicts into which this country has entered. It then asks them, in groups, to deduce what types of ships, weapons, battles and people played a part in each of these wars, and of course, how they relate to Narragansett Bay. We hope that your students will approach the end result creatively by styling their charts after maritime signal “flags.” Exploring the Ocean State Rhode Island is the smallest state, measuring forty-eight miles from North to South and thirty-seven miles from east to west.
    [Show full text]
  • New England Better Newspaper Competition Award Winners
    INSIDE: COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS AND JUDGES COMMENTS Presented on February 8, 2020 Congratulations to the most outstanding newspapers in our six-state region! This year’s special award winners General Excellence Reporters of the Year Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, MA Erin Tiernan, The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, MA Rich Salzberger, The Martha’s Vineyard (MA) Times Seven Days, Burlington, VT Mount Desert Islander, Bar Harbor, ME Photojournalists of the Year VT Ski + Ride, Middlebury, VT Peter Pereira, The Standard-Times, New Bedford, MA David Sokol, GateHouse Media New England Rookies of the Year Alex Putterman, Hartford (CT) Courant Christopher Ross, Addison County Independent, VT NEW ENGLAND NEWSPAPER & PRESS ASSOCIATION 2 | P a g e NEW ENGLAND BETTER NEWSPAPER COMPETITION WINNERS, presented February 8, 2020 CONGRATULATIONS NEW ENGLAND BETTER NEWSPAPER COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS This year’s competition drew nearly 3,000 entries that were published during the contest year August 1, 2018 - July 31, 2019. The entries were evaluated by the New England Newspaper & Press Association’s distinguished panel of judges. The results of the competition listed here recognize the excellent revenue and audience building activities that are taking place throughout New England — the finalists and winners are listed, along with the judges’ comments. NENPA is proud to celebrate this truly extraordinary work! Entries were judged in five categories: Daily Newspapers with circulation up to 20,000 Weekly Newspapers with circulation up to 6,000 Daily Newspapers with circulation more than 20,000 Weekly Newspapers with circulation more than 6,000 Specialty and Niche Publications CONTENTS N EWS R EPORTING .................
    [Show full text]
  • Nefai-2020-Program-Online.Pdf
    nefai 2020 Table of Contents Letter from NEFAC’s Executive Director 3 About the New England First Amendment Institute 4 Subscribe to NEFAC 4 Former NEFAI Fellows 4 Institute Schedule 7 NEFAI 2020 Featured Speakers 11 NEFAI 2020 Faculty 11 NEFAI 2020 Fellows 19 How You Can Support NEFAC 25 Notes 26 Sponsors and Major Contributors Hearst Connecticut Media Group 2 Boston University 6 The Academy of New England Journalists 10 The Boston Globe 12 WBUR-Boston 18 Paul and Ann Sagan 22 The Robertson Foundation 24 Please Bookmark NEFAI 2020 Event Page nefac.org/nefai-2020 NEFAI 2020 Schedule and Class Documents nefac.org/nefai-2020-schedule Pre-Recorded Presentations and Materials nefac.org/nefai-2020-pre-recorded-presentations When the world went viral, so did we. Informing and guiding millions of readers on the impact of COVID-19 across Connecticut. Breaking news from the Capitol, Washington and the CDC. First- hand accounts from essential workers and responders on the front lines. In-depth interviews with local businesses and community leaders. Delivered via a dedicated e-newsletter, Heart Of The Coronavirus Crisis series, and a statewide network of newspapers, magazines and websites. Hearst puts Connecticut (and award-winning journalism) first. HearstMediaCT.com 2 | nefac.org CELEBRATING YEARS OF14 ADVOCACY 2006-2020 New England nefac First Amendment Coalition EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Phone 508.983.6006 Fax 617.860.2559 Web nefac.org Justin Silverman, Esq. Twitter @FiveFreedoms Mailing Address 111 Milk Street, Westborough MA 01581 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Karen Bordeleau NEFAC President Dear NEFAI 2020 Fellow, The Providence Journal (formerly) Michael Donoghue First Vice President Congratulations on being selected to attend this year’s New England First Amendment Vermont Press Association Institute.
    [Show full text]