Newport ri Wedding

Newport is a city in Newport County, Rhode Island, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Providence. It is the home of the United States Naval War College, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and a major United States Navy training center.

Newport was founded in 1639 by William Coddington, John Clarke, and others, who left Portsmouth, Rhode Island after a political fallout with Anne Hutchinson and her followers. Newport soon grew to become the most important port in colonial Rhode Island. A public school was established in 1640. In the mid 1600's, a group of Jews fleeing the inquisition in Spain and Portugal were allowed to settle in Newport. The Newport congregation is the second oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. At the same time, a large number of Quakers settled in Newport. The evidence of this population can be seen today in the fact that many streets are named after trees. The Quaker meetinghouse in Newport (1699) is the oldest house of worship in Rhode Island. At the same time, a large population of Baptists settled in Newport. In 1727, James Franklin (brother of Benjamin) was printing in Newport; in 1732, he published the first newspaper, the Rhode Island Gazette. In 1758, his son James founded the Mercury, a weekly paper. Throughout the 18th century the famous Goddard and Townsend furniture was made in Newport.