Epilogue Newport in the early twenty-first century is an international city, visited yearly by some three million visitors, descended upon by sailing aficionados, music lovers, students of architecture, and people intent on witnessing what over three centuries of American heritage looks and feels like. Newport offers living history, encapsulating every phase of America's growth, and in that presentation it is unlike any other city in the nation. Since its inception in 1639, Newport has been transformed by the events that touched it—reinventing itself when necessary, retaining its treasures when possible. The city's story is one of cycles of prosperity and reversals of fortune rather than one of steady expansion and progress along an inevitable path. Newport proved to be a leader in the transformation of America from its colonial beginnings, throughout its development, up until the present time. Some of the contributions were subtle, a setting of style or nuance; others were fundamental initiatives of lasting importance that pointed America in new, more democratic or artistic directions. With the King Charles II Charter of 1663, Newport led the colonies in the acceptance of religious freedom for its subjects, a notion still blasphemous at that time in Boston and other towns. Yet it was the Newport model that ultimately prevailed in the nation, and today America is a country renowned for its guarantee of the right to personal belief. Newport was the first colonial town to break with Great Britain in 1776, sending a message to King George III two months before publication of the Declaration of Independence that Americans were ready to openly rebel against his rule. After the Revolution and the long period of stagnation which followed, Newport became one of the most sought-after destination for leisure and entertainment in nineteenth-century America: the Queen of Resorts during a period when the nation was radically redefining itself and beginning to present itself on the world stage. Much of the activity of the Gilded Age in Newport might be cast off as frivolous or inane or worse, but that is missing the larger point. The Duke of Wellington famously asserted that the Battle of Waterloo had been won on the playing fields of Eton. Likewise, at a time when America was coming of age socially and culturally, the broad social norms established by the country's elite in Newport set the tone for the imperial and powerful America that evolved between the Civil War and World War I. As the country grew into one of the dominant political and military forces of the twentieth century, its debt to activities that took place in Newport became more evident. The town's grand architecture along Bellevue Avenue from this period alone symbolizes America's growing wealth, influence, and global aspirations. In the twentieth century, Newport played host to the United States Navy during two world wars. Then, rediscovering its roots, it became one of the leaders in historic preservation and restoration of its architectural assets of three hundred-plus years. No other city in America possesses a collection of period pieces so vast and important, and Newport continues to refurbish its gifts from earlier years, with some of the most active and vibrant restoration and preservation institutions in America. People from around the globe visit Newport to discover a collection of art, artifacts, and architecture that vividly portray all stages of United States history. It is a city alive in promise, alive in the past, and vibrant in the present. Newport was and still is quintessential America in the best and most enduring of ways. What has placed Newport apart from other American cities over the centuries? It should be remembered that four of the nine founders in 1639 were men of wealth and advanced education. They set the tone for the evolving town, demanding toleration in religious realms and freedom for their mercantile pursuits. They had a vision. The town prospered, artisans thrived, and the Redwood Library provided a home for intellectual advancement. Even after the ravages of the Revolution and the ensuing half century, Newporters remembered their special heritage. Thus it should come as no surprise that a spirit of place, a spirit of independence, has always resided in Newport citizens. The prescient William Hunter (of Hunter House) understood the potential for the city he loved. In 1835, even though Newport was struggling to survive, Hunter looked to the future. In a letter from Rio de Janeiro, where he was serving as America's first Minister to Brazil, Hunter wrote: "I find I love poor, dear, old Newport—and most that inhabit it—I calmly think, even at this distance, and away from the misguiding prejudices and affections of mere locality, that its time of renovation and comparative prosperity is near at hand. I predict this... from the natural effects of time and the inevitable progress of national prosperity... People who have money will come there, at least in summer to enjoy it—those who are high in what is deemed rank and are safe in hereditary wealth, because they can show their ranks and wealth advantageously—those who have acquired it by hard knocks because they can elegantly repose from their labors—and those who have clinched it by the little turns and tricks of trade because they hope they may be forgotten at a distance and the glittering butterfly never suspected of having been a grub." Hunter, of course, was on target with his prediction. Fifty years after he wrote those words, Newport had become the flame that drew the butterfly and the Brahmin alike, the brightest beacon during America's age of expansion. That flame still flickers. Today, people flock to Newport to experience its culture and entertainment, but increasingly more so to savor the rich remains of its two vibrant periods—the colonial Golden Age and the republican Gilded Age. Visitors from around the world want to connect with American heritage, to feel it and see it firsthand. Newport offers that opportunity because, throughout its long and colorful history, a sense of destiny has prevailed in the town. Newport has lived up to Dr. John Clarke's revolutionary vision. This has been a lively experience indeed.