Winter Lectures in Belmont Chapel

Join us for one or more of the presentations this winter in the historic Belmont Chapel. Each presentation will explore some of the remarkable people buried in Island Cemetery. The restored chapel received preservation awards from the Newport Restoration Foundation and Preserve Rhode Island. The illustrated presentations are a great way to enjoy the chapel and hear the stories of people and places that reflect Newport’s history.

Tickets are $15 for each lecture or $40 for the series. Copies of the book “Discover Island Cemetery: Notable People and Monuments from the Gilded Age to Modern Times” can also be purchased in addition to tickets. The presentations by Trudy and Lew Keen, authors of the book, will be about an hour. All proceeds from tickets benefit the Island Cemetery

Lectures:

"The Kings of Newport" - Thursday, February 13th from 2:00 - 3:00 PM

The name “King” is everywhere in the city of Newport and in the Island Cemetery.  The Edward King House, Newport’s Senior Center, and Kingscote, owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County, are only two of the significant buildings the King family built or owned in the city.  The family members were numerous and important members of society.  This presentation features the Kings who built their castles in Newport and impacted the city. 

"Gilded Age Graves in Island Cemetery" - Thursday, February 27th from 2:00 - 3:00 PM

The city of Newport was the playground of Gilded Age Americans who built the “cottages” that provide a glimpse of how they lived.   When their lives ended, Island Cemetery became “the place” to be buried.  The cemetery is the final resting place of ordinary people and world-famous individuals.  While many buried here were part of the year-round Newport community, a surprising number of summer visitors chose Newport as their place for eternal rest. 

"Notable Monuments in Island Cemetery" - Thursday, March 20th from 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Island Cemetery is an outdoor sculpture garden.  Three-dimensional works of art set in the landscape mark the graves of notable people.  Everyone has their favorite monuments, and this illustrated lecture will share many of the more meaningful and creative ones.  While the artists for many of the stones is unknown, some were created by George Champlin Mason, Jr, Richard Morris Hunt, and August Saint-Gaudens.