By Marcia Abramson
Separation of church and state was codified in the Newport Town Statutes of 1641 and became one of the first decular democracies in the world. Also during this period in the 17th century, the cornerstones of Newport's architectural heritage were laid. Some of the buildings to see from this period are the Old Stone Mill, the White Horse Tavern and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). By 1700 the Society of Friends was the most influential of Newport's congregations. More Jewish merchants arrived in the mid-1700s and influenced world wide trade networks. I was told that it was the Quakers and the Jews that helped transport Newport from a small agricultural outpost to a cosmopolitan city. The Touro Synagogue was built in the 1760s and is an important landmark and the oldest synagogue in America (currently undergoing a major restoration program). Newport was an important player in the American Revolution and was occupied by the British from 1776-1779. The French failed in their attempt to drive out the British. When the British troops finally left, the French stayed on until 1783 when they joined George Washington on his victorious march to Yorktown. Jill and I went to the Visitors Information Center, which is located in the heart of downtown Newport and within walking distance of most of the city. It was easy to find parking for the car at the center and catch a trolley tour that showcased some of the most awesome scenery on the East Coast of Newport's 10-mile Ocean Drive. We also rode along the magnificent tree-lined Bellevue Avenue, where the high-society Astors and Vanderbilts erected the most regal edifices resembling French and Italian palaces that I have seen this side of the Atlantic. The social elite referred to these seasonal domiciles as their "summer cottages" and the places to spend a few weeks to escape the heat in their city homes. These opulent buildings dated back to the late 19th century when conspicuous consumption was the order of the day. Our tour took us past some of the notable mansions with names like The Breakers, Marble House, Astor's Beechwood, Belcourt Castle, The Elms, Rosecliff (designed by famed architect Stanford White after the palace at Versailles) and Doris Duke's Rough Point. All these homes are open for tours and Jill and I did get to explore the Sunken Gardens of the Elms, Rough Point and the Astors' Beechwood. We were impressed with our drive-by of The Breakers (no relation to the grand Palm Beach Breakers) a huge 70-room palace with 23 bedrooms and 40-foot ceilings. It was built in 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II and is the largest and most impressive mansion of them all. There is no question in my mind that Newport has the largest concentration of mansions hat I have ever experienced in all my travels. I strongly recommend this escape to Newport's Golden or Gilded Age of the Rich and Famous. My daughter and I particularly enjoyed our tour of the Astor's Beechwood Mansion, which represents stepping back in time, when Mrs. Caroline Astor was undoubtedly the "Queen of American Society," seemed to be awaiting our visit to her summer cottage and welcomed us at the door. Mrs. Astor is a member of the Beechwood Actors' cast that portrays the wealthy Astor family, going back to 1891. We particularly enjoyed the Tuesday night "Beechwood Speakeasy" program dating back to 1923. I learned that Rhode Island never observed the federal Prohibition Laws and that Newport's port was known as the rum runners' port of entry. Therefore, Beechwood's Roaring 20s "Speakeasy" served alcoholic beverages in tea cups, which we got to sample with delicious canapés while being entertained with the beautiful music and dance of that era in the style of filmdom's greats Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. An actor portrayed composer Cole Porter at the piano playing and singing the song "Night and Day" inspired when he was a guest of the Astors at Beechwood. During summer, the day light hours on Tuesdays, the Beechwood Theater Company presents Roaring 20s Tuesdays when skirts were short, liquor was outlawed, but fun was the order of the day. This was a wonderful way to spend part of our brief visit to Newport. We also found time to visit Doris Duke's home at Rough Point and see her costume display, which I will deal with in my next column.
Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
