I first met Newport in winter 1958, when I was born at Newport Hospital.
Since then, I have called Newport home. The only exceptions were for 10 months living in Claremont after first being married, and six months when my husband and I, along with a sister and a cousin, were ski-bums in Utah. We lived in Sandy, Utah and worked at Snowbird.
So yes, Newport is home.
As children, my siblings and I walked to school — first to primary school (now the Town Offices), Richards School (grades 2 to 4 for me), Towle School for grades 5 and 6, and Newport Junior High and High School. The walks were pleasant on the tree-lined streets.
Throughout the summer we had the freedom to ride our bikes in the street, visit the library either walking or bike riding, wander the woods near our home, and play with our neighbor in the backyard.
We spent many hours jumping rope, with one of us turning the rope, the other end of the robe tied to the garage door.
The backyard was where we played badminton, not for score but to see how many times we could hit the birdy back and forth, saying “sorry” each time one of us missed.
Those backyard games were years ago, but some things stay the same. The Richards Library stays the same, as a welcoming place to be. The Library Arts Center was established when I was a preteen and was only open in the summer. It was another nice escape from the summer heat.
As a teenager, the Recreation Center offered basketball and on Friday nights, roller-skating. Round and round we’d skate, wearing metal, clamped-on roller-skates.
At that time, until very recently, the building was a former National Guard Armory built in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In 1968 it was retrofitted for community use. Newport now has a newly built Community Center on Meadow Road, just a stone’s throw away from the old one.
The Newport Town Hall and Opera House was where at age 5, I and others of my age, received the new polio vaccine. As Girl Scouts we sang Christmas Carols on the front steps. Eventually, as teenagers we danced on the dusty floor to rock-and-roll cover bands. A few years later, a grand undertaking restored the Newport Opera House to its intended shine and beauty.
On Central Street there stands a compact brick building. It was built as a home for the Nettleton Family around 1830, and now houses the Newport Historical Museum, a treasure trove of artifacts and information. As a youth I didn’t give the building a second notice, (at that time not a Museum) but now, being involved with the Newport Historical Society, I see its value and interest to the community.
And what mention of Newport’s Gems would be complete without mentioning our exquisite Common, where lounging, band concerts, farmers market, fairs and festivals, as well as sports, take place. The gazebo-style bandstand is the backdrop for many local prom photos.
In today’s community, these places host plays and productions, art exhibits and art classes, book discussions, projects and new media to check out, historical displays to ponder and archives to research Newport’s past. These websites will tell you all you need to know, including phone numbers to find out more.
Richards Library: Richardsfreelib.org
Library Arts Center: LibraryArtsCenter.org
Newport Opera House: NewportOperaHouse.com
Newport Historical Society & Museum: NewportNHhistory.org
Newport Recreation Center: NewportRec.com
