Little Compton Historical Society

Wilbor House Tours
2026-06-28 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-27 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-21 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-20 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-14 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-13 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-07 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-06-06 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Learn about the lives of the Wilbors over six generations, 1690-1920, with a guided tour of the c. 1691 historic house. Wilbor Hour Tours are inlcuded in the price of admission for the historical society exhibits.

Admission free to members and children under 5, $10 adult, or $5 for kids 5-12. Last admission at 4:30 PM.

Historical Book Club - June
2026-06-24 16:00 - 17:00 | Brownell Library, 44 Commons St, Little Compton, Rhode Island, 02837, United States
We will be discussing the important impact that women had on the American Revolutionary War.

All are welcome!

Several copies in various formats are available to be checked out at the Brownell Library

Juneteenth - “If Jane Should Want to Be Sold: Stories of Enslavement, Indenture and Freedom in Little Compton, Rhode Island” Exhibit
2026-06-19 10:00 - 2026-06-21 17:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
This special exhibition was originally presented in the 2016 season. For Juneteenth, the exhibit panels will be displayed in Peaked Top Schoolhouse.

The exhibit panels and resources are also available on our website here: https://littlecompton.org/exhibits/if-jane-should-want-to-be-sold-stories-of-enslavement-indenture-and-freedom-in-little-compton-rhode-island-exhibition-panels/

Historical Book Club - May
2026-05-27 16:00 - 17:00 | Brownell Library, 44 Commons St, Little Compton, Rhode Island, 02837, United States
We will be discussing the surprising spies of World War II. Librarians and scholars who answered a call to use their skills in unusual ways.

All are welcome!

Several copies in various formats are available to be checked out at the Brownell Library

Spring Virtual Lecture Series: "A NEW HISTORY OF THE SAKONNET WAMPANOAG PEOPLE - Part 2: Life after King Philip’s War"
2026-05-20 19:00 - 20:00 | RI
Speaker: Marjory O’Toole

New research conducted over the last fifteen years has dramatically changed and broadened our understanding of the history of the Sakonnet Wampanoag people. We’ve been learning from Wampanoag advisors and studying historic documents, the archaeological record, and the Sakonnet landscape. LCHS Executive Director Marjory O’Toole will share some of what we have learned about seventeenth-century Sakonnet sachems like Awashonks, Takamona, and Mamanuah along with lesser-known individuals from more recent times including Sue Codimonk, Moses Suckanush, and Thomas Cooper. This second half of the history will explore the how the Sakonnets and their Acoaxet neighbors responded to the arrival of English newcomers, established a thriving Indian Meeting House on John Dyer Road, and continued to live on their homelands, slowing moving to neighboring Native communities.

To view the first half of the talk presented at the 2025 LCHS Annual Meeting click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TgkErwEie0&t=73s

The talk begins at 11 minutes and 45 seconds.

Speaker: Marjory O’Toole

Marjory is the Executive Director of the Little Compton Historical Society. She holds an MA in Public Humanities from Brown University and is the author or editor of ten local history books.

Historical Book Club - April
2026-04-29 16:00 - 17:00 | Brownell Library, 44 Commons St, Little Compton, Rhode Island, 02837, United States
We will be discussing the book and looking at the impact of the Revolutionary War locally.

All are welcome!

Several copies in various formats are available to be checked out at the Brownell Library

Woven Bookmark Craft - Children's Activity
2026-04-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Stop by during school vacation week and make woven bookmarks to use with your current book!

All are welcome!

Drop-in activity, no registration required.

Spring Virtual Lecture Series: "Lafayette in the American Revolution and his Evolution as an Anti-slavery Advocate"
2026-04-07 19:00 - 20:00 | RI
Lafayette played a critically important role in the American Revolution, both as a general and as an intermediary between the United States and France. Moreover, experiences with African Americans during the war transformed him into a leading anti-slavery advocate. Lafayette’s most significant military achievement was the Virginia Campaign of 1781 which led to the siege of Yorktown and victory in the last major battle of the War. His signal diplomatic achievement was the dispatch of General Rochambeau’s army to America in 1780. Lafayette’s relationship with African Americans in the War, especially with the First Rhode Island Regiment and an enslaved double agent in Lord Cornwallis’s camp was the genesis of a 50-year commitment to the anti-slavery cause.

Speaker: Alan Hoffman

ALAN R. HOFFMAN obtained a BA in history from Yale before earning a JD at Harvard Law School. An avid reader of early American history, he “discovered” Lafayette in 2002 and spent two years—2003 to 2005—translating Auguste Levasseur’s Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825, the first-hand account of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour of America written by his secretary. Mr. Hoffman has lectured widely on Lafayette—over 260 talks—and has spoken in each of the 24 states (and Washington, D.C.) which Lafayette visited during the Farewell Tour. Mr. Hoffman co-produced and was the principal author of virtual travelogues covering Lafayette’s Farewell Tour visits to four states: New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire (with TravelStorysGPS). Most recently, he edited and contributed to Lafayette and the Enduring Struggle for Human Rights and Democratic Governments (American Friends of Lafayette, Gaithersburg, Maryland: 2025). Mr. Hoffman currently serves as President of the American Friends of Lafayette and President of the Massachusetts Lafayette Society. He is also the editor of The Gazette of The American Friends of Lafayette. During the AFL’s Farewell Tour Bicentennial, he served on the Steering Committee that organized commemorative events in 24 states.

Spring Virtual Lecture Series: "The Mighty Struggle for Liberty & Reform: George Burleigh and His Remarkable Family"
2026-03-10 19:00 - 20:00 | RI
Speaker: Jennifer Rycenga, Ph.D.

No one evoked the beauties of Little Compton more than George Shepard Burleigh (1821-1903), except maybe his son, Sydney Richmond Burleigh, in painting. But George was much more than a lover of nature. Burleigh was the youngest child from a family of seven Abolitionist siblings. He wrote pointedly against slavery, against the death penalty, and in opposition to the war with Mexico. His literary work was widely published and championed by the literary elite (including Longfellow and Lowell), and he was recognized by the Transcendentalists as a kindred spirit. His marriage to Ruth Burgess, of Little Compton, brought George into the natural splendour of this corner of the world. But he never lost his reformer’s conscience, supporting women’s rights and temperance in the decades after the Civil War. George – and his love of Little Compton’s scenery and families – are more significant than has been previously acknowledged. This talk will outline the last four decades of George’s life, when he lived in Little Compton.

Speaker: Jennifer Rycenga

Jennifer Rycenga, author of Schooling the Nation: The Success of the Canterbury Female Academy (University of Illinois Press, 2025), is Professor Emerita in the Humanities Department at San José State University. Her scholarly work has focused on the Abolitionist movement, exploring areas previously hidden or marginalized, such as Black women’s activities and voices, the anti-racist work of white Abolitionists, and networks of families and friends involved in the struggles against slavery and injustice. In addition to her work on the Canterbury school controversy, she has led two Digital Humanities projects on the Burleigh family of Plainfield, Connecticut – seven siblings who all supported Prudence Crandall and the Canterbury school – and philosophic analyses of the work of Black speaker Maria Stewart (1803-1879).

Rycenga’s other work ranges widely across feminist musicology (co-editor with Sheila Whiteley of Queering the Popular Pitch, Routledge 2006), global feminism (Frontline Feminisms, co-edited with Marguerite Waller, Routledge 2001), and lesbian philosophy (The Mary Daly Reader, co-edited with Linda Barufaldi, New York University Press, 2017). Her next major work will examine the convergence of justice, history, art, and the natural world.Jennifer Rycenga lives in Rochester, New York with her wife Peggy Macres, an elderly yet spry Shitzu-Poodle named Patsy Cline, and two highly-contented cats, Lyssa (Greek; Bringer of Chaos) and Ipo (Hawaiian; sweetheart).

Museum Store Sunday
2025-11-30 10:00 - 17:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Join us at LCHS for Museum Store Sunday, a special day dedicated to meaningful shopping and supporting local museums! Explore unique, mission-driven gifts, from one-of-a-kind art pieces to handcrafted treasures that make perfect holiday presents. Each purchase directly helps sustain our programs, educational initiatives, and community projects. Celebrate creativity, discover exclusive items, enjoy special discounts, and experience a day of culture and connection. Bring your friends and family and make your shopping purposeful—join us at the and be part of this global celebration of art, community, and giving.

Thanksgiving Service
2025-11-27 10:00 - 11:00 | Quaker Meeting House, 234 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States

Cider Social
2025-10-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
The Little Compton Historical Society invites you to our Annual Cider Social—an afternoon of seasonal refreshments, historic exploration, and community engagement.

Guests are welcome to enjoy complimentary cider and donuts (available while supplies last), free guided tours of the Wilbor House Museum, and open access to two special self-guided exhibits about the history and culture of the Sakonnet Wampanoag people:

Awashonks’ Garden

Sakonnet Belongings

The event will also feature hands-on crafts and games suitable for all ages.

Admission is free and open to the public. We welcome individuals, families, and community members of all ages to join us for this celebration of local history and autumn traditions.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Native Led Tours
2025-10-18 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-10-18 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-09-20 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-09-20 11:00 - 12:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Join tour guide Miciah Stasis-Harding for a guided tour of Awashonks’ Garden. These tours provide a unique opportunity to learn about the land, culture, and history through Indigenous perspectives.

Meet your Tour Guide: Miciah Stasis-Harding

Miciah Stasis-Harding, a citizen of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Nation, is the daughter of Nathan Harding, Sr., and the granddaughter of Irving Harding. She was born in the land of her ancestors, Plymouth, Massachusetts, where she graduated from Plymouth North High School. Miciah remains passionate about instilling the traditional ways of her people in the tribal youth, as well as increasing awareness to the public. She specializes in many art forms, including wampum work, traditional poke tattoos, regalia making, storytelling, and traditional singing and dancing. Since the age of 15, she has actively advocated for her people providing education about their history at numerous events. She has been a keynote presenter at museums and Indigenous events through the Northeast. Miciah has taken her travels even further to other parts of the US and even Canada, connecting people across Turtle Island through her wampum jewelry and her poke tattoos.

photograph by Scott Strong Hawk Foster, Hassanamisco Nipmuc

Admission

Free for LCHS Members

Free for Members of Native Communities

Included with General Admission for all other visitors

All ages welcome

Reservations are highly recommended.To reserve your spot, email programs@littlecompton.org or call 401-635-4035.

Native-Led Tours of Awashonks’ Garden
2025-09-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Join tour guide Ubaid Govan for a guided tour of Awashonks’ Garden. These tours provide a unique opportunity to learn about the land, culture, and history through Indigenous perspectives.

Meet your Tour Guide: Ubaid Govan

Ubaid Govan is a student of archaeology and anthropology at UMASS Boston.

Admission

Free for LCHS Members

Free for Members of Native Communities

Included with General Admission for all other visitors

All ages welcome

Reservations are highly recommended.To reserve your spot, email programs@littlecompton.org or call 401-635-4035.

Native-Led Tours of Awashonks’ Garden
2025-09-13 11:00 - 12:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Join members of the Wampanoag community for one-hour guided tours of Awashonks’ Garden. These tours provide a unique opportunity to learn about the land, culture, and history through Indigenous perspectives.

Meet your Tour Guide: Miciah Stasis-Harding

Miciah Stasis-Harding, a citizen of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Nation, is the daughter of Nathan Harding, Sr., and the granddaughter of Irving Harding. She was born in the land of her ancestors, Plymouth, Massachusetts, where she graduated from Plymouth North High School. Miciah remains passionate about instilling the traditional ways of her people in the tribal youth, as well as increasing awareness to the public. She specializes in many art forms, including wampum work, traditional poke tattoos, regalia making, storytelling, and traditional singing and dancing. Since the age of 15, she has actively advocated for her people providing education about their history at numerous events. She has been a keynote presenter at museums and Indigenous events through the Northeast. Miciah has taken her travels even further to other parts of the US and even Canada, connecting people across Turtle Island through her wampum jewelry and her poke tattoos.

Admission

Free for LCHS Members

Free for Members of Native Communities

Included with General Admission for all other visitors

All ages welcome

Reservations are highly recommended.To reserve your spot, email programs@littlecompton.org or call 401-635-4035.

Native-Led Tours of Awashonks’ Garden
2025-08-30 11:00 - 12:00, 2025-08-23 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-08-23 11:00 - 12:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Join members of the Wampanoag community for one-hour guided tours of Awashonks’ Garden. These tours provide a unique opportunity to learn about the land, culture, and history through Indigenous perspectives.

Admission

Free for LCHS Members

Free for Members of Native Communities

Included with General Admission for all other visitors

All ages welcome

Reservations are highly recommended.To reserve your spot, call 401-635-4035.

Family Day 2025
2025-06-28 12:00 - 16:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Free admission and fun for all ages.

Rain or Shine

Free Admission to the Special Exhibit

Free Wilbor House Tours

Free Hot Dogs, Chips, Watermelon & Soft Drinks

Free Crafts

Free Contests with Ribbons and Trophies

Pie Eating

Skillet Throwing

Seed Spitting

Preview Party 2025
2025-06-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Little Compton Historical Society, 548 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
