Adopt-A-Cemetery Program

Thank you for your interest in the Adopt-a-Cemetery Program coordinated by the West Greenwich Preservation & Heritage Commission (WGPHC). We are grateful for your willingness to help care for West Greenwich’s historic cemeteries and are excited to work with you as part of this important preservation effort.

Program Background

West Greenwich is home to approximately 155 historic cemeteries. Many were originally located on family farmland, while others are situated along roadways or deep within wooded areas such as Big River Management Area, Arcadia, and surrounding preserves. While some cemeteries are easily accessible, many require hiking and careful navigation to reach.

In the 1960s and 1970s, longtime resident Blanche Albro visited and documented approximately 145 of these cemeteries, recording gravestone inscriptions with the help of local residents. Her work remains an invaluable genealogical resource, although time, weather, and damage have rendered some inscriptions difficult or impossible to read today.

Building on this foundational work, town volunteers Bob and Charlene Butler later undertook efforts to locate cemeteries, record GPS coordinates, and map cemetery locations to plat and lot records. These efforts help protect cemetery sites, inform land use decisions, and improve access for historians and genealogists. During this work, previously undocumented cemeteries were also identified.

Why the Adopt-a-Cemetery Program Matters

As cemeteries were revisited, many were found to be overgrown, damaged, or partially lost due to vandalism, environmental conditions, or lack of awareness of their existence. Adopt-a-Cemetery programs, now used by many communities across the country, provide a structured and respectful way to maintain historic burial grounds while preserving their integrity.

The Adopt-a-Cemetery Program allows volunteers to contribute in meaningful ways while working within preservation best practices and in accordance with town guidance.

Volunteer Participation Options

We aim to keep this program flexible and accessible. 

Volunteers may choose to:

• Adopt and maintain a specific cemetery
• Assist with scheduled group maintenance days
• Focus on specific tasks such as brush removal, documentation, or stone stabilization

We welcome ideas, feedback, and collaboration as the program continues to evolve.

Interested in Volunteering?

E-mail: wgphc1741@gmail.com

Program Contact:

John Harrington

West Greenwich Preservation and Historical Commission

Please leave your contact information in the email and if you have a spacific cemetery of intrest you would like to adopt.