Pegee Malcolm is looking for people who take pride in their community and its rich history. She’s recruiting people to adopt Warwick historic cemeteries — and there’s no lack of them that could use some loving care.

In Rhode Island, no laws dictate the maintenance of historic cemeteries, according to Malcolm, who chairs the Warwick Commission on Historic Cemeteries. “Historic cemeteries are pretty much left on their own unless somebody like us steps in and takes care of them,” she said. Warwick has 166 historic cemeteries. And probably a lot more that, we don’t know of,” said Malcolm.

A common misconception is that these cemeteries are the City’s responsibility, but, in reality, the job often falls on neighbors and community members.

“We get calls, of course, from neighbors saying, ‘I’ve got a cemetery up the street from me or next door to me … and the city never does anything about it,’” said Mark Brown, a member of the Commission. But, “the city doesn’t own any of these cemeteries.”

Neighbors and the Cemetery Commission work to keep these cemeteries clean with regular visits and restoration projects. Volunteers cut through overgrown vegetation, clean abandoned memorials and fix overturned gravestones— all to preserve Warwick’s history.

Cemetery angels

Those interested in adopting cemeteries can help by contacting Malcolm and the Commission. Adopters — who Malcolm dubs “angels” — are often asked to commit to adopting the cemetery for about three years, although there’s no time limit.

Malcolm has always been interested in cemeteries, drawn to their history and tranquility. From reading old headstones, Malcolm gleans information about some of the country’s first citizens — “it’s history in the making,” she said. “Those people buried in the cemeteries that we take care of, they had no idea what Warwick would look like right now.”

So far about 30 historic Warwick cemeteries have been adopted, Malcolm said. Adopted cemeteries have seen dramatic transformations.

Until the 1990s, Brayton Cemetery, Warwick’s largest historic cemetery, was virtually abandoned. Then, Robert Darigan began the intensive process of restoring the cemetery — a process that his son, Danny Hall, continues today.

Before Darigan passed away in February 2020, he “always worried about it going back to the way it was,” Hall recalled. “I promised him I wouldn’t allow that to happen.”

Darigan and his friend Emmett Reinhardt spent 30 to 40 hours a week at Brayton, according to Hall, filling in caved-in graves and mowing the grass, among other projects. “I’m carrying his tradition on,” Hall said.

But many cemeteries carry their histories of neglect. Brown recalled a cemetery where “people would drive their cars through (it) to get to the other side.”

“That cemetery is in disgraceful condition,” he said. “There are a few headstones still there, but a lot of them have been totally destroyed.”

Mary Channing, who adopts a cemetery, hopes the work of volunteers and the Cemetery Commission prevents future vandalism. “When it looks nice, I think that cuts down on people vandalizing it because they can see that somebody’s taking care,” she said.

For many, adopting a cemetery has given them a newfound sense of appreciation for local history.

Diane McConnell first got involved with the Cemetery Commission when she saw others cleaning up the cemetery in her housing complex. “I enjoy doing something for these souls that have been either forgotten about or that nobody really knows about,” she said.

“We learn who’s in the family because they’re usually buried together,” McConnell said. Inscriptions, writings and stone placements provide additional knowledge about a family’s history.

These cemeteries provide extensive archival information on Warwick’s past, an important tool for genealogists, Brown said, as gravesites contain information about family relationships that would be otherwise forgotten.

Preserving personal histories

By “preserving historical cemeteries, you’re preserving history,” Brown said. “It’s the preservation of personal histories.”

When Channing bought her property in 2005, she recalled the nearby historic cemetery — then overgrown — was one of its main draws. After moving in, she immediately looked into the adoption program to help restore the cemetery. The cemetery is the resting place for two brothers who died during the Civil War — one from medical complications and the other when his ship was sunken.

“It’s important for us to protect the history of our country,” she said.

Restoring these cemeteries also unearths previously forgotten histories. Hall recalled finding the graves of a World War I veteran and his family after removing shrubs in the cemetery’s center “I don’t even think my dad knew that,” he said.

Beyond individual gravestones, some cemeteries have been lost to time. Al Golder, one of the Commission’s members, is searching for a half-dozen “lost cemeteries.” These sites have been recorded previously but have been hard to locate due to development and overgrown vegetation.

Golder adopted a cemetery behind the Sandy Lane fire station, which was a “lost cemetery” found due to historical records. Sandy Lane was built on top of the cemetery, with some stones being paved over, he said.

Recently, the Cemetery Commission has been busy replacing flags on veteran’s graves for Memorial Day. Hundreds of veterans are buried in Warwick going back as far as the Revolutionary War and beyond. One of the early settlers of Warwick, John Wickes, lost his head to Native Americans in the early days of King Philip’s War. Wickes was reunited with his head and is buried near the Tri City Elks Club on West Shore Road. And another one of the founders of Warwick, John Greene is buried behind the Narragansett Bay Baptist Church on West Shore Road.   

Golder, a veteran himself, first started replacing flags when working with the Sons of Union Veterans, but now continues to work with the Commission “It’s an honor …”

Cranston also has an active cemetery commission and adoption program, led by John Hill. Vice Chair Paul Tognetti said Cranston has 118 historical cemeteries with approximately two dozen adoptions. Their adoption program started two years ago and continues to gain adoption parents. They call adopters each March to ask if they are willing to continue. Most are willing and do it because they want to do it.

Christine McWilliams, who has adopted CR57 on Laconia Road, stated that she used to live down the street and still owns property there. She passes the cemetery frequently and felt she could maintain the little 10-burial Nathan Pearce Lot. She has been doing it for three years now.

Paul has adopted cemetery CR 36, the Sheldon Lot on Park Avenue that contains the graves of some original Pawtuxet Rangers He went by one day when the grass was hip high and decided that the cemetery needed tending. He has maintained it for three years now. The commissions are always looking for volunteers to help.

Those with an interest in cleaning or adopting an historical cemetery in Warwick should contact Sue Cabeceiras at 401- 921-9687: in Cranston contact John Hill at 401- 461-9371, Paul Tognetti, 401-450-1739 or anywhere else in Rhode Island Pegee Malcolm at 401-521-1823.