Newport in Newport County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
Seaman's Church Institute of Newport
18 Market Square
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 6, 2023
1. Seaman's Church Institute of Newport Marker
of Newport
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1983
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures • Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 41° 29.214′ N, 71° 18.947′ W. Marker is in Newport, Rhode Island, in Newport County. It is on Market Square west of America's Cup Avenue (Rhode Island Route 138A), on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18 Market Square, Newport RI 02840, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay and in Newport and Aquidneck Island. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At
this page online
Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form.
This form was prepared by David Chase, Consultant, in May 1983. The summary statement of significance begins on page 5:
Founded in 1919, and harkening back in purpose to such nineteenth-century philanthropic organizations as the Newport Auxiliary Marine Bible Society and specifically inspired by the Coddington Point Hut which served the needs of Navy recruits training at Newport during the First World War, the Seamen's Church Institute(Submitted on August 31, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)of Newport is an Episcopalian institution created to minister to a large and largely transient population of sailors, fishermen, ferrymen and dockhands. Housed in rented quarters for the first decade of its existence, the Institute's own building, opened in 1930 and still in use, was erected on Market Square when that location was the hub of the waterfront: Government Landing, where all Navy sailors came ashore, was on the north side of the Square; the Jamestown Ferry docked at the foot of the Square; and the wharfs for fishing boats and cargo vessels were all around. By charter, the Institute's superintendent must be a clergyman and in the 64-year history of the organization, there have been but three superintendents: the Rev. Roy Magoun (1919-1945); the Rev. Archie Burdick (1946-1982); and the Rev. Dwight Hamhlay, Jr. (1982- ). With termination of ferry service in 1969, substantial reduction in the Navy force stationed at Newport in 1974, decreased commercial activity in the port and the radical transformation of Market Square and environs over the past decade-and-a-half, Seamen's Church Institute now serves fewer Navy men and more fishermen, yachtsmen, and people from the community at large. Newport's fishing fleet remains large, yachting has increased enormously, and the essentials of the Institute's mission remain little changed. It stands today both as an historic and a living element of Newport's rich maritime heritage.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 11, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 160 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 11, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
