Join us at Old Aldrich Cemetery (also known at Hotchkiss Cemetery) in North Smithfield, RI on 7/22!
Please make sure to park in Union Cemetery! There will be signs and volunteers to assist with parking
*Images via Find a Grave*
Our local event host is a member of DAR and also a member of the North Smithfield Heritage Association and works with the cemetery restoration team to repair headstones in the area. We’re excited to get to Hotchkiss to help teach & repair the damaged stones present in their local cemetery!
The so-called “Hotchkiss Cemetery” is the largest abandoned historic cemetery in town. It is bounded by the Union Cemetery and Smithfield Road. According to the Rhode Island Historic Cemetery Commission, it is actually three cemeteries: Old Town Burial Ground (NS031); Old Aldrich Burial Ground (NS037); and Hotchkiss Cemetery (NS036). The North Smithfield Heritage Association is unable to determine where one cemetery ends and the others begin. Hotchkiss Cemetery covers an area of 2.25 acres and contains 447 burials. There is no current owner of record for the cemetery which was abandoned beyond living memory. At some point, the organization responsible for the care and upkeep of the cemetery became defunct and the cemetery became overgrown with trees, bushes, and litter. Vandals, deer, and trees knocked over gravestones. Part of the cemetery was cleaned about 15 years ago as part of a Boy Scout Eagle Project, but the cemetery soon became overgrown again. In August 2017, Christine MacWilliams and Rich Keene began to clean the cemetery. Several months later, NSHA adopted the cemetery and volunteers began to maintain the grounds year-round. Volunteers have also begun to repair and reset the fallen gravestones.
*Info above sent by our local event host*
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“Covering an area of 1.00 acres, this cemetery is clearly laid out in the town of North Smithfield plat book. Its name is officially "Old Aldrich Burial Grounds of Hotchkiss Cemetery." It lies between "Old Town Burial Grounds" (NS036) to the West and "Union Cemetery Annex" (NS037) to the South and East. This cemetery as well as the two others mentioned are badly neglected and vandalized. Anyone working in NS031, NS036, & NS037 should look at these three cemeteries as one group. Without a proper land survey, it is almost impossible to determine where one cemetery ends and the others begin.”
*Info via Find a Grave*