ETERNAL REST DISRUPTED: TECHNIQUES FOR LOCATING IMPERMANENT GRAVES OF LOST INSTITUTIONAL CEMETERIES: STATE FARM CEMETERY OF CRANSTON RHODE ISLAND

Abstract

The State Farm Cemetery is a lost cemetery that is located under Route 37 in Cranston, Rhode Island. Historic burials include people from the State Almshouse and State Infirmary of Rhode Island. These institutions housed the poor, the mentally ill, and those sick from tuberculosis. These individuals were considered of a low social class and had to seek habitation within the State Almshouse. This thesis is focused on how the Rhode Island State values and characteristics can be seen in institutions, specifically the Rhode Island State Almshouse and how there may be evidence in the burial practices. It also provides information on how to locate and identify lost cemeteries through historic records and GIS. There are many institutions across the nation that have buried individuals without an identifying headstone, or with no grave marker at all. This can lead to lack of recognition and the reversion to nature to the point where a cemetery becomes lost. Poor or mentally ill people were kept hidden from the public eye, and neglect can render their cemeteries hidden as well. Since Roger Williams, Thomas Hazard, and Henry Jones had an interest in protecting those of a different belief or lifestyle, I am interested if the Rhode Island State Almshouse differentiated treatment of individuals of different genders or ethnicities. I analyzed available data representing the State Farm Cemetery for any evidence of segregation or different burial practices done between the various ethnicities, gender, and patient types. I want to recognize and give a name to those who remain under State Route 37 in the State Farm Cemetery. Using my skills with GIS, and historic maps and records of the State Farm Cemetery and State Almshouse, I placed points on the graves of the individuals and attaching their information to each point. I hope to make an example for Rhode Island, to show that we can make a difference and help give justice and a voice to those who may not be able to speak for themselves. Social class may affect the cemeteries and burials of people in an institution, but we can make a change and give them the recognition that they always deserved. I hope my thesis is a forerunner for those in the Cultural Resource Management and Archaeology / History field. Whether it is a project carried out for regulatory compliance, or someone in their free time, hopefully we can map and locate more forgotten people in lost cemeteries. This will lead to the prevention of disturbances of the lost human remains.