Update - 7/17/23 — GardensOfStone.org

Niles/Nichols/Congdon Lot | West Greenwich, Rhode Island | Historical Cemetery No. 54

Added to Cemetery List, July 17, 2023! Click HERE to view.

With 66 burials, the Niles/Nichols/Congdon Lot is among the largest in all the BRMA. It provides fine examples of both fieldstone inscription artistry, as well as professionally-commissioned stones dating from the 18th and 19th Centuries. Though even as far back as our first visit, it was never exactly overgrown, it was filled with fallen trees, trapping at least one stone. In fact, most of the visible damage within this lot seems to be the result of these fallen trees, and not so much vandalism. But now, thanks to recent efforts by a person or persons unknown, it is simply a delight to visit, cleaned out from wall to wall. Pictures of its original condition as well as its current condition can be found below.

Curiously, the stone wall protecting this lot has no entrance or opening, presumably due to the wall’s being built at some point after the burial yard stopped being used. This is further evidenced by the fact that the fieldstone headstone belonging to the single burial in the westernmost row (Burial #1 on the diagram) stands only 6 or 8 inches away from the wall, rendering it impossible to photograph. As far as we could determine, this stone is not inscribed, but we were unable to fully excavate it for fear of unbalancing the wall protecting it. There could very well be other burials in this first row beneath the stone wall.

Journal