What's Happening in Providence, RI…

The RI Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission (RIHPHC) and the RI Historical Cemeteries Commission are partnering to promote a two-month event to promote awareness and preservation of the state’s cemeteries.

Here in Providence, tours will be available of the city’s Free Burying Ground as well as Providence’s North Burial Ground’s amphibian habitats. Established in 1700, The North Burial Ground covers 150 acres and reflects the city’s history and development.

As of the start of this month through May 31, events will take place throughout Rhode Island to raise awareness and educate the public about preserving history via the preservation of cemeteries and their landscapes. Among the planned activities will be dozens of volunteer cemetery clean-up events.

Flyer printing and poster printing services work well for those trying to drum up volunteers to support community improvement projects.

The 39 cities and towns that make up Rhode Island are all home to historic cemeteries containing a wealth of historic information. Among the information that can be gleaned from them are each community’s developmental patterns, their social and economic growth and other changes that have occurred within each community over time.

Historic Rhode Island cemeteries come in a variety of sizes and designs, and some have been laid out by landscape artists such as H.W.S. Cleveland, who designed Providence’s Swan Point Cemetery in 1886 at the bequest of its board of directors.