Rhode Island Cemetery Weeks

The Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC) and the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries (RIACHC) presented RI Historical Cemeteries Awareness and Preservation Weeks in April - May 2024. We featured tours, clean-ups, gravestone conservation demonstrations, talks, and additional free programs that raise awareness about Rhode Island's historic cemeteries and promote their preservation. Look out, 2025!

Event calendar!

Thank you for joining us at 100+ clean-ups, tours, hikes, exhibits, talks, repair workshops, and more.

Call for programs

We welcome your program proposals for 2025 Rhode Island Cemetery Weeks. Please contact Christine MacWilliams of Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Historical Cemeteries.

Why cemeteries?

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.