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Washington Square |
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Washington Square, surrounded by historic buildings, was the heart of colonial and early American Newport, and is still the heart of its historic district. |
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Right downtown between Thames and Spring streets, next to the Brick Marketplace shopping mall, is Washington Square, the center of colonial Newport. At the western tip of the square is the Brick Market, a Newport landmark which now houses the Museum of Newport History. At the other end of the square stands the Old Colony House, center of Newport governmental affairs from its construction in 1739 until the Rhode Island General Assembly (which met in Newport in the summer) last used it in 1900. It was from the Colony (later State) House's balcony that the Declaration of Independence was read to Rhode Islanders. In the assembly room is Gilbert Stuart's famous portrait of George Washington.
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Newport's Washington Square, now a pleasant shady park.
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