Historic Happenings at the RIHS

Get in the Spooky Spirit this October

The RIHS is excited to announce All Hallow's Evenings, an entire month of programs inspired by the eerie, spine-chilling, and macabre!

Join us each week as we take a journey through the historical aspects of Halloween, including early reports of the supernatural, RI's ties to witch-hunting, ancestral hauntings, and more!

All Hallow's Evening Events

Spellbinding Soiree

Saturday, October 28, 6:30-10pm 

Join the RIHS for the culmination of their monthlong All Hallow's Evenings series with a Spellbinding Soirée, hosted at their Aldrich House headquarters, the site of many magical moments in Hocus Pocus 2.  

Guests will enjoy an evening of bewitching entertainment with dancing in the ballroom to the erudite grooves of Funkademic and thrilling tours of a miniature North Burial Ground recreated on the property. Indulge in enchanted eats from Cozy Caterers and devilishly good drinks from Bottles Fine Wine. Consider making it a VIP experience with the addition of a tarot reading by Boss Lady Tarot and a signature cocktail featuring ISCO's Gemma vodka infused with quartz during a full moon. 

Come alone, or bring your coven! Costumes are highly encouraged!

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Witch Craft Market

Saturday, October 28th, 11am-3pm 

Join us on the Great Lawn of the John Brown House Museum for the Witch Craft Market, a spooky celebration of Halloween featuring family fun with Rhode Island makers, games, tasty treats, and more. 

Guests will be able to browse the booths of local vendors selling Halloween-inspired and witchy goods, including Hungry Ghost Press, Taft Street Studios, The Rusty Scissors, Gremlin Ceramics, and Screaming Skull Candles. The market will also mark the debut of Hoki by Mek Mek Games, a fortune-telling solitaire game. 

Visitors will have the opportunity to "Find Your Familiar" with the Rhode Island SPCA, which will be bringing cats and other small animals that are available for adoption. 

Try your hand at ghoulish lawn games and activities, have your fortune read by tarot reader Evalyn Archer, or sample Little B's BBQ which will be on-site all day, serving classic barbeque with all the fixings!

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As American As Pumpkin Pie: The Global Origins of Halloween

Thursday, October 5

Explore the origins of Halloween traditions and how they have become so very American with RIHS Executive Director Dr. C. Morgan Grefe.

Ghostly Sightings and Unexplained Occurances in Early New England

Thursday, October 12

Join Robert Geake as we explore the diaries, letters, and newspaper accounts of unexplained activity, witchcraft, and ghosts in RI and early New England.

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Worksop, Witches and a Place in American History: Richard Bernard

Tuesday, October 24

Join us as we connect with UK historian Adrian Gray for an exploration of RI's connections to notorious English witch hunter Richard Bernard.

RIHS Member Exclusive

Free Tour of North

Burial Ground

Tuesday, October 17, 4:30pm

Join City Cemetery Director Annalisa Heppner for a tour of selected internments, monuments, and landscape features at Providence's North Burial Ground. "Meet" historical figures, learn about headstone iconography, and the history of the burial ground itself.

Register Now