Westerly’s Forgotten Coast Defense Fortification on Napatree Point: The Story of Fort Mansfield
Westerly’s Forgotten Coast Defense Fortification on Napatree Point: The Story of Fort Mansfield
Rhode Island’s Namesake Warships: Past, Present, and (Maybe) Future
The first ship to bear the name Rhode Island was a side-wheeler, built in New York as the commercial steamship John P. King. She was launched in 1860 and soon after was serious damaged by fire. Rebuilt and renamed Eagle, she was purchased by the Navy in June of 1861 and commissioned USS Rhode Island.
Protecting the Troops: Evolution of the German Combat Helmet
The collection of the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum contains a significant array of head coverings from combatants on all sides ranging from the American Revolution through the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II, and into the recent past.
An Army in the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum
Growing up, how many of us played with toy soldiers? Some were metal. Many were green plastic. But all gave us hours of enjoyment as we fought mock battles on sandpiles and in the grass. Prominently displayed in the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum, however, is a collection of tiny soldiers representing a broad swath of history.
Who Carried the British Grenadier Sergeant’s Carbine in our Varnum Armory Collection?
In a rack atop the 19th-century, glass-front bookcase in the Varnum Commander’s Office is a rare English Carbine, a scaled-down version of the British Land Pattern Musket, commonly known as the “Brown Bess”. From 1722 to 1838, the British Army used the Land Pattern worldwide and some were used by colonists as well.
Women in Combat: Rhode Island’s Own Kady Brownell
While American women today serve in front-line duties in the armed forces, this wasn’t a common or accepted practice in the past. This article tells the stories of Deborah Sampson of the American Revolution and Kady Brownell in the U.S. Civil War. Click the link to read more about these American military heroes.
Return to the Varnum House Museum: An Interview with Barbara Weaver
It’s been a while since we sat down with Varnum Continentals Vice President and Varnum House Museum Curator Barbara Weaver. A lot has happened at the historic house on the hill. Thanks to an extensive series of renovations funded through both individual donations and the generosity of charitable foundations, the home of General James Mitchell […]
The Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942 and the Rhode Island Connection
Seventy-seven years ago this month, sixteen Mitchell B-25 (Model B) medium bombers were launched from the USS Hornet to attack the Japanese mainland: specifically, the capital city of Tokyo and other locations on the island of Honshu. The daring raid, coming just barely four months after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor was not only […]
General George Patton: Master of the Sword
There are few military exercises as thrilling as the charge of a cavalry unit, sabers flashing as they face off against the enemy. Of course, with today’s advanced military weaponry, the saber has been relegated to ceremonial use. However, as recently as the early days of World War II, you could have witnessed a cavalry […]
Young Charley Baker of Wickford: North Kingstown’s First American Civil War Killed in Action
In August 2015, we shared the story of the first North Kingstowner to fall in combat in the American Civil War during the March 14, 1862 Battle of New Bern (also spelled as New Berne) in North Carolina. With the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum’s recent acquisition of artifacts relating to that battle, it seems like […]