CR022 - Jacob Clarke Lot

Number of burials - 30
Oldest burial - 1853
Most recent burial - 1894
Dimensions - 90' x 65', stone wall

On the Clarke farm now owned by James A Budlong south of the
farm house, lot walled and yard in excellent condition.
James N Arnold recorded this lot 28 Sep 1890 (Vol 3, Pg 94).

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This privately-owned cemetery on Budlong Road has been the focus of an effort by the CHCC for the past year. When work first started here, the lot was badly overgrown with briars and countless black locust saplings, each trunk covered in thorns. Only a handful for stones were clearly visible and only a couple more could be seen have buried in the leaves if you could get close enough.

Thanks to a local troop, this entire lot was cleared as part of an Eagle Scout project. The Cranston Department of Public Works Highway Division also provided a great deal of assistance by removing all of the lumber from the grounds. With the entire lot accessible, it could be properly assessed and plans for restoration could be made.

To assist in completing a thorough assessment, the CHCC was lucky enough to have a hand-drawn record of the cemetery from the 1940s which includes the names, dates, and locations of every burial in the cemetery. Using this map, numerous gravestones were located. Also, many broken stone fragments were recovered at this time, as they had been moved to one location during a cleanup effort approximately 10-15 years ago.

Flagging of each grave location was done, and stones were placed in the proper locations for preparation of future repairs. After this initial assessment, it was determined that around 5 interments were relocated and 4 gravestones could not be found at all. In addition to this, a handful of the stones are sadly beyond repair.

It was also found that in a previous restoration effort, some stones were improperly repaired or replaced improperly. The current plan is to correct these repairs as possible once all other work is completed.

This cemetery gives the CHCC a special challenge as black locust is a particularly aggressive invasive species. The plant has a massive root system and cutting of the plant encourages regrowth. Removing this completely from the cemetery will likely take a few years. The process involves cutting in the fall and applying a specific herbicide to the stumps, which is pulled into the root system at this time of year. With luck, each subsequent year will have fewer saplings until the root system is completely dead. Until then, a handful of cleanup events must be held to keep the plant at bay.

The most recent cleanup was Sunday, October 22. A few volunteers worked to trim back the black locust and any other growth. The cemetery is now sprouting grass in some places, which will be encouraged to choke out any weeds. After 3 hours of work, the lot was effectively cleared and is now ready for herbicide treatment, which will occur in the next few weeks. During the winter season, a few of the gravestones will be temporarily removed for cleaning and repair in a temperature-controlled environment and will be re-set once the ground thaws in the spring.

As can be seen, this is a considerable project that will take at least a few years. With a continuous effort and no shortage of hard labor, this will hopefully one day be a grass lawn with properly restored stones. As always, none of this work can be completed without the help of our volunteers. The CHCC thanks everyone who has assisted us with this cemetery or any other. If you would like to volunteer with us, please feel free to contact us through our website.

CHCC Cleanup Event: CR076 - 6/25/17

The Cranston Historical Cemetery Commission (CHCC) coordinated a major cleanup effort with the West Bay Land Trust (WBLT) for CR076, the Wight-Arnold Lot, on Sunday, June 25th. This event was a fantastic success and great progress was made towards the restoration of this long-neglected cemetery.

The Wight-Arnold Lot is located off Burlingame Road on WBLT property and has been heavily overgrown for many years. Of the six recorded burials, only two stones remained visible and were hidden deep among the growth. It was not known where the actual cemetery boundaries were and whether more stones could be found. This cleanup effort would be the first step in determining this.

Members of the CHCC, WBLT, and a few additional volunteers spent about three hours removing all of the growth while taking care to ensure no damage came to the cemetery and the stones within it. We would like to especially thank Mike Klitzner, who assisted by cutting trees, logs, and vines, and who provided the use of his tractor to move much of the heavy waste. The amount of progress made was more than expected, removing enough growth to make a pile approximately 10' x 20' and 8' high!

Although no new stones were found, we now have a reasonably sure idea of where the burials are located. In coming weeks, we will return to remove more ground cover, probe to search for other stones, and determine the boundaries of the cemetery. Eventually, we hope to have all of the graves marked and any stones replaced/repaired, and even will be looking into having a permanent fence installed. The WBLT will soon be able to show off this cemetery as one of the many highlights of their properties and will ensure this lot will not fall into such disrepair again.

Thanks to all of the volunteers who assisted us! If you would like to volunteer to work on this or any other cemeteries, please feel free to contact us through our website.

Introducing the New CHCC Website!

The Cranston Historical Cemetery Commission (CHCC) is adding today's technology to the history of yesterday, making it easier for all those interested in our commission and city's cemeteries to be more aware of our goals and to be more involved. In addition to the CHCC website, cranstoncemeteries.com, we also have a Facebook group and an Instagram account.

You can learn of any upcoming cleanups or commission meetings through our Events page, and we'll be sharing any special news items here or though our Facebook group. Be sure to follow us and get involved with our community as we improve the condition of Cranston's historical sites!