Coming to RI: Building Fort Adams

As we mentioned previously, our replica of Fort Adams for the updated Coming to Rhode Island began long before the exhibit installation started, with a cardboard mockup constructed in the exhibit workshop.

The exhibits team then assembled the entire cardboard version of the fort, to help figure out layout and floor plan.

From there, the fort was constructed in wood and the pieces were stored until it was time to start installation.

After the demolition work was finished, fort installation began!

The crew installed the first and second levels of the fort, then built surrounding walls and second level decking.

After the fort was fully in place, work began on a brick façade, which is being completed as a community project by the apprentice program of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Union Local 3 MA, ME, NH, RI.

Apprentices in the program learn through practical experience under skilled workers and receive both on the job and in-class training, and the Museum’s project counts toward their training hours. We’re grateful to benefit from their skills to give the fort a more authentic feel, and to be able to provide a valuable training opportunity.

Check back for more stories and photos of reinventing Coming to Rhode Island!

Coming to Rhode Island is supported by The Children's Workshop Foundation; CollegeBound Saver; June Rockwell Levy Foundation; Murray Family Charitable Foundation; The Providence Journal Charitable Legacy Fund; Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities; The Ryan Family Foundation; and Nancy Smith Worthen, in memory of Margaret L. Worthen (as of October 11).  The Irish gallery was developed in collaboration with The Museum of Newport Irish History and the Fort Adams Trust.