The Preservation Society of Newport County (PSNC) has in itscare nine historic houses (1748-1902)-The Breakers, Marble House, The Elms,Chateau-sur-Mer, Rosecliff, Chepstow, Hunter House, Isaac Bell House,Kingscote, and The Elms-which together with their gardens, interiors,furnishings and archives constitute a unique cultural museum spanning theAmerican Colonial period to the Gilded Age.Traditionally associated with high-value materials andluxury goods, here the term "treasures," denotes cultural significance. Surprisingand overlooked objects across a range of media illuminate under-representedstories: the T. Downing Pickled Oyster Jar, Chateau-sur-Mer, is astoneware vessel from the renowned New York oyster house of famed AfricanAmerican restauranteur Thomas Downing (1791-1866); and a letter, recentlydiscovered in Marble House, was written by the Vanderbilts' long-serving butlerYussuf Azar, the first person of Egyptian heritage to settle permanently in theUnited States.Providing written context and interpretation are fortyauthors from a diverse array of disciplines and areas of study, includingexperts in Chinese, Japanese, French, and American decorative arts, as well ashistorians of Black and Indigenous experience in Rhode Island, conservators whoprovide technical knowledge, and artists and artisans with experientialperspectives.