The Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC) and the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries (RIACHC) present RI Historical Cemeteries Awareness and Preservation Weeks in April – May 2022. Our Calendar of events features tours, clean-ups, gravestone conservation demonstrations, and additional free outdoor programs that raise awareness about Rhode Island’s historic cemeteries and promote their preservation.

Cemeteries are among Rhode Island’s most unique and often overlooked cultural resources. Nearly 3000 sites have been identified in our small state, including Indigenous Peoples’ burial places, family plots on rural farmsteads, church graveyards, picturesque garden cemeteries, cemeteries established by religious communities, veterans’ resting places, and more. Historic cemeteries tell the stories of individuals and families, landscape design, grave marker artistry and technology, religious beliefs, traditional cultural practices, and community development.

Several towns/communities in the Blackstone Valley will be participating and specific events will be listed on this calendar as they become available.