Lippitt House Museum

Name: Lippitt House Museum
Address: 199 Hope Street, Providence, RI, 02906, US
Telephone: (401) 453-0688
Price range: $
Rating: 4.5

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Lippitt House Museum

One of America's best-preserved Victorian interiors, an 1865 mansion in the heart of Providence, RI. www.lippitthouse.org
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Preserve Rhode Island’s 1865 Lippitt House Museum offers guided tours by online reservation, special exhibitions, lectures, art installations, concerts, and family programs. A National Historic Landmark, Lippitt House has one of the best preserved Victorian interiors in America, allowing visitors to step into Providence’s Golden Age. Following the Lippitt family's example of public service, the Museum's cultural programming promotes civic engagement, the arts, and history of Providence.

11/22/2024

Last week, we opened Lippitt House to curious and enthusiastic staff from humanities councils around the country. They were in town for and were eager to learn how the Museum develops programs inspired by the Lippitt family's legacy of public service. RI Humanities' Julia Renaud interviewed Carrie Taylor, who returned for the day, and interim director Cathy Saunders about community and artist partnerships and the Museum's Civics Program for adult English language learners.

Rhode Island Humanities

11/21/2024

One of Jeannie Lippitt's voice teachers, Alexandar Graham Bell, is a significant figure in Deaf history. Bell’s advancement of the oralism movement, in which the Lippitts were involved, left a complicated legacy of oppression against the Deaf community.

Learn more in "The Lasting Legacy of Oralism and the Never-Ending Fight for Progress," the final installment of Lippitt House Museum's blog series about the Lippitt family's contributions to the history of equal rights for deaf education: https://www.preserveri.org/post/lasting-legacy-of-oralism.

We are deeply grateful for the students from World Languages program who researched and wrote this series.

📸 Cover of “Marriage: An Address to the Deaf” by Alexander Graham Bell, 1891. Public Domain, https://archive.org/details/gu_marriageaddre00bell. (Bell warned against the intermarriage of Deaf people for fear of the “production of a defective race").

11/14/2024

How much do you know about deafness? How are sign languages different from “flipping fingers”? How did the term “Deaf” extend beyond a pathological label to a cultural identity?

In the third installment of Lippitt House Museum's blog series about the Lippitt family's contributions to the history of equal rights for deaf education, the shifting perceptions of Deafness from the mid-19th century to today are explored.
https://www.preserveri.org/post/shifting-perception-of-deafness

📸Sign Language: friend, by R.A. Olea, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drawing_%28sign_language_friend%29,_2008.jpg

11/11/2024

In honor of Armistice Day we wanted to share the story of First Lieutenant Alexander Farum Lippitt, son of Gov. Charles Lippitt and grandson of Gov. Henry Lippitt. He is the Lippitt for whom Lippitt Memorial Park in Providence is named.

Alexander left Harvard University in 1917 to volunteer for the American Expeditionary Forces during WW I. Lt. Lippitt was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross "for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 166th Infantry Regiment, 42d Division, A.E.F., in the Champagne sector, north of Chalons, France, 15 July 1918. During a powerful enemy attack, Lieutenant Lippitt led his platoon through heavy artillery and machine-gun fire in a counterattack against the enemy, which had gained a foothold in our line. The enemy was repulsed and the line reestablished. He assisted in the reorganization and defense of the position against two enemy assaults. The gallantry of this officer was a great aid to his command at a time of unusual danger."

A few days after this attack, Alexander received a head wound while advancing another attack and died from complications in Cape May, NJ on October 6, 1918. He is buried in Providence's Swan Point Cemetery. Lippitt Memorial Park in Providence was dedicated to Lt. Lippitt in 1933. Alexander's two brothers, Charles Warren Lippitt, Jr. and Gorton Thayer Lippitt, also served in France during WWI.

Thank you to all those who served and continue to serve or country.

11/06/2024

Jeanie Lippitt became deaf in 1856. Thanks to the hard work of her mother and her family’s connections, she excelled in lipreading and speech under oralist education. This inspired her mother, Mary Ann Balch Lippitt, to found what is today the Rhode Island School for the Deaf. The school also used oralist education instead of American Sign Language. What did oralist education mean for the broader deaf population in the 19th century? If Jeanie had been a deaf child growing up in Rhode Island today, what would her education look like?

"The Transformation of Rhode Island School for the Deaf from Oralism to Bilingual Education" is the second installment in Lippitt House Museum's latest blog series exploring the Lippitt family's contributions to the history of equal rights for deaf education. Find this post on "Silver and Spindles Blog" at https://www.preserveri.org/post/transformation-of-ri-school-for-the-deaf.
Subsequent posts will be uploaded on Wednesdays through November 20.

📸R.I. School for the Deaf, c. early 20th century, ProvLibDigital, https://provlibdigital.org/islandora/object/VM013_GC2230

11/03/2024

As we near Election Day, Lippitt House Museum intern Madeline Tirschwell reflects on her time working with the Museum's Civics Program for English Language Learners and the responsibilities of citizenship.

Applicants for citizenship must pass a a civics test as part of the process. The 100 questions on the test are ones that many US born citizens would have difficulty answering despite having grown up here. Lippitt House Museum educators connect history with the civics test questions for students preparing for citizenship during the program--knowing a community’s history makes it easier to feel a part of it.

Read Madeline's post on the Silver and Spindles Blog to see some of the questions and her thoughts about carrying out her responsibility as a citizen to vote. https://www.preserveri.org/post/civics-history-and-the-responsibility-of-citizenship.

📸Women out in force. circa 1922, Library of Congress

10/31/2024

It was a cozy, autumnal Halloween-eve last night at Lippitt House. Thank you to the citizenship-prep students from Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island for making it such a special evening!

The students came as part of the the Museum's civics program for English language learners. They appreciated the timely lessons about voting rights history in Rhode Island and the United States.

10/30/2024

In Lippitt House Museum's latest blog series, four students of American Sign Language at Brown University explore the Lippitt family's contributions to the history of equal rights for deaf education. Jeanie Lippitt became deaf at age four. Her mother Mary Ann became her earliest teacher and later a passionate advocate for the oralist method of deaf education. The series covers Mary Ann's advocacy, the history of oralism, and the state of deaf education today. Posts also touch on Alexander Graham Bell’s relationship with the Lippitt family and the transformation of the Rhode Island School for the Deaf from oralism to bilingual education.

The first posts in this series are live on the Museum's "Silver and Spindles Blog". Subsequent posts will be uploaded on Wednesdays through November 20.

To start the series go to https://www.preserveri.org/post/lippitts-and-the-history-of-equal-rights-for-deaf-education

📸 Jeanie Lippitt from a family album is captioned: "Jeanie, totally deaf, the idol of the family, her mother's triumph, loved to ride about the East Side."

10/28/2024

It was a glorious fall day for a historical tour of Swan Point Cemetery this past weekend. Architectural historian and Preserve RI trustee, Ronald J. Onorato introduced the history, symbolism, and design elements of some exceptional monuments found in the older part of the cemetery, and Lippitt House Museum's Cathy Saunders shared history of Lippitt family members interred in one of the cemetery's most prominent plots of the 19th century.

Preserve Rhode Island

10/25/2024

One year ago, Lippitt House Museum welcomed the "Treasures Inside the Museum" crew to film some of the most interesting details and stories of this beautiful site.

To check out the episode featuring the museum, check out: https://watch.ripbs.org/video/illustration-lippett-xpav9r/

Thank you, Rhode Island PBS!

10/21/2024

Each year, Preserve RI celebrates remarkable achievements in historic preservation that strengthen our communities, improve quality of life, and address social challenges. View and vote for your favorite 2024 Rhody Awardee Video this week at: www.PreserveRI.org

10/16/2024

Did you know?
Any registered Rhode Island voter who can't vote on Election Day has the option to vote early!

Visit your local board of canvassers or designated location now through November 4th.

Want to know where to go? Check out: vote.sos.ri.gov/forms/elections/VoteHours/HoursEng/HoursEng.html

📸 Library of Congress, 1938. Washington, D.C., Mr. and Mrs. Paul R. Henry voting, Miss Magdalena Gale registers them.

10/14/2024

Indigenous People's Day is an opportunity for learning more about local indigenous history. One of our favorite resources is Rhode Island's only indigenous-led museum: Tomaquag Museum. In addition to their excellent museum exhibits, they offer in-person and virtual programs including a monthly "lunch & learn" series. The next lunch & learn will explore the origins of Columbus Day, the controversy surrounding the holiday, and the movement for change to Indigenous People's Day.

Check out their upcoming events at: https://www.tomaquagmuseum.org/events.

10/09/2024

This beautiful fountain will be wrapped up for the coming winter on October 15th.
Come take a tour and see it firsthand!
Tours are offered on Fridays through the end of the month.
Book today by visiting https://www.preserveri.org/visit-lippitt-house-museum

10/07/2024

Welcome to Lippitt Birthday Week!

October 7, 8 and 9 mark the birthdays of Mrs. Mary Ann Balch Lippitt, her son Gov. Charles Warren Lippitt Sr., and her husband Gov. Henry Frederick Lippitt.
Born in 1823, 1846, and 1818 (respectively), these three would hardly recognize the Providence of today, though they'd find their Hope Street family home remarkably unchanged.

Portrait images from the Lippitt House Museum Collection
1911 Birthday Greeting Card from NYPL; Public Domain

10/05/2024

Crucial date! Tomorrow - Sunday October 6 - is the final day to register to vote in Rhode Island for the November election.

At Lippitt House Museum, sharing the history of voting rights and the struggles of many to secure the vote is an important part of the museum's mission. And history is always being made. Be sure to exercise your rights and have your vote counted.

For more important voting information, visit the Secretary of State's site at: https://vote.sos.ri.gov/

📷: Alexander L. Peterman, "Elements of Civil Government", 1891. The caption reads: "Arrangement of polling place as required by Massachusetts law"

10/03/2024

Walked by many times and never popped in? Visited once before but forgot to take pictures?

Come on by! Lippitt House Museum is offering plenty of opportunities to tour the house this week.

Join a 45 minute expert-led tour of this ornate 1865 Victorian Mansion at any of the following times:

Thursday, October 3 - 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM
Friday, October 4 - 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM
Saturday, October 5 - 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM

Tickets are available for purchase at https://www.preserveri.org/calendar.

Address

199 Hope Street
Providence, RI
02906

Opening Hours

	10am - 12pm
	1pm - 3pm

Telephone

(401) 453-0688

Website

http://www.lippitthouse.org/

Alerts

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Videos

Lippitt House Museum's 1873 Fountain

This beautiful fountain will be wrapped up for the coming winter on October 15th. Come take a tour and see it firsthand! Tours are offered on Fridays through the end of the month. Book today by visiting https://www.preserveri.org/visit-lippitt-house-museum

Happy Anniversary to the UAWRIA!

Lippitt House Museum staff were honored to be included in the United African Women of Rhode Island Association (UAWRIA)'s anniversary celebration. Thank you for all the work you do for our community. Here’s to another year of service through sisterhood!

INFUSION EVOLUTION is back!

The weather is looking great to come hear Infusion Evolution at 4:00 PM today! This local band brings the fun and the rhythm - enjoy their tunes in the lovely Lippitt House Museum garden. Tickets are available at www.lippitthouse.org

Free Admission

As a participant in the Museums for All program, Lippitt House Museum is free to access for any individual with a SNAP/EBT card. Check out LippittHouse.org to book tickets!

The sun came out for a fun afternoon North Burial Ground for the #1899Picnic. Lippitt House Museum brought the games but the picnickers brought the fun!

Rosé Garden Party 2024

Tickets are now on sale for this year's Rosé Garden Party! Visit LippittHouse.org for more information. Thank you to this year's Diamond Sponsor: Compass Rhode Island Performance by RI's own The Tropigals

Happy follow-versary to our awesome followers. Thanks for all your support! Kate Bird

Book the stunning Lippitt House Museum for your upcoming event!

"Lippitt After Dark" is coming! See it all in a new light. Guided evening tours are available on November 15 & 16. LippittHouse.org for tickets.

Guided tours of Lippitt House Museum are a step back into Providence'e Golden Age. Come see the 1865 mansion, and learn about the lives of those who lived and worked there in the Victorian era. Tickets are available at LippittHouse.org.

Miss Wensday brings her signature sound to the Lippitt House Museum garden this Sunday, August 20 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Don’t miss this fantastic local talent! Tickets available at st 20 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Don’t miss this fantastic local talent! Tickets available at https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/preserveri/items/319634/calendar/2023/08/? Thank you to Compass Rhode Island for sponsoring this series!