We are are hosting another cemetery cleanup during RI Historic Cemetery weeks - a different place, yet even more hidden in plain sight than the others! Every year we have CITO'd a Scituate cemetery, it has been a Smith lot of one kind of another, but this time it's the Thomas family.
Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 9am-12pm - rain date Sunday, April 28 from 12pm-3pm
Notification will be made on the event page by Friday night if the event is rained out.
We will be clearing brush, vines, and other debris, performing stone cleanup and tidying (possibly resetting) the stones if time allows. You may learn some interesting skills, such as how to safely clean gravestones, the significance of some of the iconography, practices relating to positioning tbe burials, and performing repairs.
SC032 - NICHOLAS THOMAS LOT - description from RI Historical Cemeteries:
| James N Arnold recorded this lot 14 Sep 1904 (Vol 3, Pg 63) On the Thomas farm south from the Gov. West place in sight of the road, lot well walled, yard covered with ferns |
Now it's next to someone's driveway, and is quite overgrown both around the cemetery and inside the lot. It can be accessed from Darby Road, but the adjacent homeowner has graciously allowed us to park in the driveway, and access the cemetery that way, for this event (the trip through the brush will be shorter that way). Please be cautious and respectful of this private property. The lot is recorded as 45' x 30' and has 8 listed burials going back to 1790, 7 of which with inscriptions.
Helpful items to bring:
Drinking water
Alcohol gel (in case there is any poison ivy)
Snacks
Gloves
Knee pads
Sunscreen/hat
Hand tools like clippers, shovels, rakes, and saws - it's a great idea to mark these with your initials
Parking is in the driveway of #145 Darby Road, Scituate, RI if space allows (on the road if it is full). Carpooling would be helpful. Look for the red and white cemetery event signs marking the event access/driveway. Please do not park in other driveways or block any of them.
Please use caution. Safety is most important, both for the volunteers and of the cemetery and stones. Watch out for possible thorns, poison plants, and ticks. Dressing for exposure to these is a great idea. Save your flip-flops and shorts for another event!
RI Statewide Restoration/Awareness Event - Scituate
In observance of RI Historic Cemetery Restoration and Awareness Day 2024..