THIS PAGE , CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT : The Cape Verdean Museum features artifacts related to the local Cape Verdean community , including an advertisement for an ocean liner from Cape Verde and memorabilia from local Cape Verdean American musicians .
PHOTOGRAPHY : ( OPENER PAGE , CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT ): COURTESY OF THE NAVAL WAR COLLEGE MUSEUM , ALL OTHER IMAGES / LAUREN CLEM . ( THIS PAGE ): LAUREN CLEM ; ( OPPOSITE PAGE ): COURTESY OF THE CAPE VERDEAN MUSEUM / INSTAGRAM .
I f you were lucky enough to grow up in Rhode Island — or raise children here — then you know certain museums serve as rites of passage . From splashing in the water room at the Providence Children ’ s Museum , to piling on the bus for a field trip to the Newport mansions , to marveling at the artwork in the RISD Museum , you ’ ve probably seen it all .
But did you know Rhode Island is home to more than a dozen smaller museums , many of them supported by volunteers ? These sites offer essential glimpses into local life , whether it ’ s the immigrant groups and military transplants that power our economy or the games and technology that keep us moving on our days off . From Woonsocket to Westerly , we ’ ve rounded up our favorites and offer a sneak peek into four . Take a look next time you ’ re planning a Saturday — a visit to the museum offers a chance to explore a new corner of the state , and even learn a little something along the way .
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Cape Verdean Museum
Since 2005 , the Cape Verdean Museum has served as a gateway to Cape Verde in Rhode Island , tracing the roots and history of the island nation through its descendants in southern New England . Originally located in East Providence , the museum opened the doors to a new location on Prospect Street in Pawtucket in 2022 .
“ Mostly everything we have has been donated to us ,” says Yvonne Smart , the museum ’ s education coordinator and curator .
Touring the museum , visitors first encounter an exhibit on the whaling industry , the vehicle by which many Cape Verdean natives came to live in New England . Once a major port for the Portuguese slave trade , the island nation off the west coast of Africa was a frequent stop for whaling ships in the 1800s . Young men — including Smart ’ s grandfather , Martin Anthony Lopes — signed on to yearslong whaling voyages , often settling in New England after the journey .
“ When they left , they left for years ,” Smart says . “ Many Cape Verdeans came back and forth on the schooners owned by our own people .”
While many Cape Verdeans settled in New Bedford and Nantucket , others , like Smart ’ s grandfather , lived in Fox Point . A 1920 map of the Providence neighborhood shows the streets where families lived and participated
102 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2024