Newport Colony House Clock, Newport, RI
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member LSUMonica
N 41° 29.413 W 071° 18.790
19T E 306900 N 4595761
Clock mounted on the Newport Colony House. The Newport Colony House is the fourth oldest statehouse still standing in the United States.
Waymark Code: WM16A9
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 01/29/2007
Published By:Groundspeak Charter Member BruceS
Views: 65

The Newport Colony House is the fourth oldest statehouse still standing in the United States. It was designed by builder/architect Richard Munday, who also designed Trinity Church and the Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House in Newport.The Colony House was built between 1736 and 1739 by Benjamin Wyatt, and tradition maintains that a great number of African-Americans were employed in its construction.

The building replaced a smaller wooden courthouse built about 1687. The Colony House was constructed as part of the movement to bring formal town planning to Newport, which until then had developed in haphazard fashion.It was intended to help transform the Parade, as Washington Square was then named, into an elegant public space in keeping with the traditions of English cities. The design of the Colony House is derived from the English Georgian style popularized by the architect Sir Christopher Wren, but its floor plan follows the customary layout of English town or guild halls, which often had an open marketplace on the ground floor and civic offices on the second floor.

Many important events associated with the shaping of the United States occurred at the Colony House. In 1761, the death of George II and the ascension of George III was announced from the balcony. In 1766, citizens of Newport celebrated the repeal of the Stamp Act in and around the Colony House. In January and May of 1773, the building served as the meeting site of the Commission of Inquiry into the burning of the British revenue schooner Gaspee by Patriots in 1772. On July 20, 1776, Major John Handy read the Declaration of Independence from the front steps. During the British occupation of Newport from 1776 to 1779, the Colony House was used as a barracks. After liberating Newport from the British, the French used the building as a hospital. It is often said that a French chaplain celebrated the first public Roman Catholic mass in Rhode Island in the Colony House, although there is no evidence of that. In 1782, the Great Hall on the first floor was the location of a banquet given by General Rochambeau to honor George Washington. Throughout the 19th century, the Colony House was used in May of each year for "'Lection Day" festivities. On this day, the results of the Rhode Island April elections were announced, the General Assembly convened ceremonially, and officials were inaugurated. Visitors from all over Rhode Island came to Newport to participate in victory celebrations, political negotiations, and party conflicts. Newporters considered it a more important holiday than Christmas.

The Colony House served as the primary state house of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from its completion in 1739 until 1901, when the new state house in Providence opened. From 1901 to 1926 it was the Newport County Courthouse. Between 1926 and 1932, the building was restored by architect Norman Isham, who simultaneously worked on two other nearby colonial buildings: The Brick Market and the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House. The Colony House contains a portrait of George Washington, painted by Gilbert Stuart. In 1962, the building was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Status: Working

Display: Mounted

Year built: Not listed

Web link to additional info: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Photo of clock.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest Town Clocks
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
Roscoe45 visited Newport Colony House Clock, Newport, RI 12/13/2013 Roscoe45 visited it
Weathervane visited Newport Colony House Clock, Newport, RI 11/11/2013 Weathervane visited it
NorStar visited Newport Colony House Clock, Newport, RI 11/10/2010 NorStar visited it
Sneakin Deacon visited Newport Colony House Clock, Newport, RI 08/07/2009 Sneakin Deacon visited it
p-luv visited Newport Colony House Clock, Newport, RI 05/08/2007 p-luv visited it
LSUMonica visited Newport Colony House Clock, Newport, RI 10/10/2006 LSUMonica visited it

View all visits/logs