Historical groups providing tours, looking for volunteers to clean up and restore cemeteries in Rhode Island
It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of historical walking tours, but preservation groups are hoping you’ll visit some of the 3,000+ cemeteries in Rhode Island this spring for a tour or to help clean up.
By: Tim Studebaker
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of historical walking tours, but this spring, preservation and historical groups are hoping you’ll make your way to some of Rhode Island’s 3,000+ cemeteries during Rhode Island Cemetery Weeks.
Christine MacWilliams is a commission member and group leader with the Rhode Island Advisory on Historic Cemeteries. MacWilliams says, “I’m sure you’ve driven along, in the state, and you’ve seen these little neglected cemeteries off to the side of the road. Very sad, unloved, forgotten. We go in and we clean them up, and we restore dignity and respect to them.”
Programs include clean-ups and gravestone conservation and restoration efforts, running for 8 weeks in April and May. You can also tag along for a tour.
MacWilliams says, “We have revolutionary war veterans, civil war veterans, as you said famous people, and they will be pointed out as you walk through the plot.”
They’re looking for volunteers to help with tasks like raking, trash pickup, brush cutting, and weed trimming.
MacWilliams says, “Over the years, Mother Nature does her thing, and she – with frost heaves going up and down, up and down, the stones fall off their bases, they get covered over.”
It’s a joint effort between the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, among others.
MacWilliams says, “We should not let these burial grounds, these plots, be covered with vines, poison ivy, rocks, and logs. That’s why. It just feels good.”
To learn more and see all the dates and locations head to this website: https://preservation.ri.gov/ricw-calendar
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