Editorâs note: This is the first in a series of articles on historical and noteworthy graveyards in Rhode Island.
By KELLY SULLIVAN
Some stories are protected behind centuries-old stone walls. Others, behind iron gates. They may lie shrouded deep within the woods or out in the open, surrounded by fields and farmlands. Many stories inform us of their author, deeply carved into granite or marble. Some offer us nothing more than a fieldstone. And many have no marker of any kind to let us know that the story of a life is rooted in the very ground where we stand. Our cemeteries are often looked upon as merely small expanses of land in which the dead are laid to quiet rest. But their silence speaks a million words, telling stories that achieve a sense of immortality. In this series, we will look at several Rhode Island cemeteries which have amazing stories to tell.
On Farewell Street in Newport stands one of the oldest and largest slave cemeteries in America. Lying within the boundaries of the Common Burying Ground, âGodâs Little Acreâ is a colonial African burial ground containing nearly 300 graves. Most of the markers are now crude and difficult to read as time has chipped away stone and worn down etchings.
Source
Southern Rhode Island Newspapers
By PAUL J. SPETRINI
pspetrini@ricentral.com
NORTH KINGSTOWNâIn the months leading up to Tuesdayâs special election on three bond questions relating to the installation of artificial turf at McGinn Park and the future of the former Wickford Elementary School (WES) building, North Kingstown Town Manager Michael Embury said voters had to approve turf at McGinn because the current condition of the fields in town was an âunacceptable situationâ where town employees spent a large number of hours devoted to the field that could devoted elsewhere.
Source
Southern Rhode Island Newspapers
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