Goff Lecture: The Heart Line of America: How Disney Became More than a Theme Park with Bethanee Bemis

Name: Goff Lecture: The Heart Line of America: How Disney Became More than a Theme Park with Bethanee Bemis
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Location: Aldrich House

November 20, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Aldrich House
110 Benevolent Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02906

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Add To Calendar 0001-01-01 0:00 0001-01-01 0:00 UTC Goff Lecture: The Heart Line of America: How Disney Became More than a Theme Park with Bethanee Bemis The Rhode Island Historical Society will host its second Newell D. Goff Lecture of 2025 with The Heart Line of America: How Disney Became More than a Theme Park by Bethanee Bemis from the National Museum of American History. Aldrich House @ 110 Benevolent Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, US Rhode Island Historical Society programs@rihs.org
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The Rhode Island Historical Society will host its second Newell D. Goff Lecture of 2025 on Thursday, November 20th, at 6pm. The talk, The Heart Line of America: How Disney Became More than a Theme Park will be presented by Bethanee Bemis, Museum Specialist at the National Museum of American History.

How did a theme park become an American pilgrimage place? What does Walt Disney World have to do with American identity? This tour through 100 years of Disney history will track how Disney parks built on Disney's previous film work to become quasi-official epicenters of the American experience.

Guests will enjoy a light reception prior to the talk. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m., with the talk starting at 6 p.m.

This talk is the second of two Goff Lectures that will be presented in collaboration with Smithsonian Affiliations in 2025. Both presentations will explore a different aspect of the RIHS’s annual theme Homegrown RI, which will delve into Rhode Island's natural world and the ways we have shaped our state's landscapes by creating spaces for communities to gather, celebrate, live, and remember. The Newell D. Goff Lecture is the Rhode Island Historical Society’s signature free talk where a scholar at the top of their field discusses a topic essential to understanding our past.

Bethanee Bemis is a public historian specializing in public memory of the national narrative, currently working at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. She is the author of Disney Theme Parks and America's National Narratives: Mirror, Mirror for Us All.

Date & Time

Thu, Nov 20, 2025 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Venue Details

Aldrich House

110 Benevolent Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02906

Rhode Island Historical Society

The Rhode Island Historical Society, the state's oldest and only statewide historical organization, is dedicated to honoring, interpreting and sharing Rhode Island's past to enrich the present and inspire the future. Founded in 1822, the RIHS is an advocate for history as a means to develop empathy and 21st -century skills, using its historical materials and knowledge to explore topics of timeless relevance and public interest. As a Smithsonian Affiliate, it is dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible public programming and educational opportunities for all Rhode Islanders through its four sites: the John Brown House Museum, the Museum of Work & Culture, the Mary Elizabeth Robinson Research Center and the Aldrich House.

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