Oak Dell Historical Cemetery

Oak Dell Historical Cemetery (founded 1850) is located on Oak Dell Street, Peacedale, RI. [Kuffner, Alex, Aug. 29, 2001,"Save the Cemetery", "Providence Journal",p. 26] [Goodwin, Ozias C., 1881, "Ozias C. Goodwin Papers, RI Historical Society Manuscripts, Divion 1997] [Oatley, Henry Clay, trans., Daniel Stedman's Journal, 2003, p. 464, Cherry Fletcher Bamberg, RI]

Origin

Oak Dell Cemetery Company, a Corporation, not for profit, duly incorporated by the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation, was established in 1850 by Rowland Hazard II who donated a small parcel of land (2.75 acres)between High and Church Street to service the community of Peacedale and surrounding area with a pastoral final resting place for beloved ones.

Rural Cemetery Movement

Oak Dell Historical Cemetery is an example of the 'rural cemetery movement', formalized by the Olmstead brothers' designs of the 19th century which incorporated picturesque hilly features organized with individual family plots.

Formalized Family Plots

Worldly in his perspective, Rowland Hazard [Hazard, Thomas Rowland, Recollections of Olden Times, 1879, p. 264 Sanborn Press, Newport, RI] in 1859 hired architect A. Noyes to design a formalized family plot layout, offering the community an opportunityto purchase a small dedicated area with perpetual care.

Funerary Arts and Burial Rituals

The hand carved headstones in Oak Dell Cemetery vary from
limestone, slate, fieldstone, granite and marble with defined funerary art edging and ornamentation are nestled in the sloping landscape.

Oak Dell Historical Cemetery's centuries old burial ritual of constructing a fence of carved granite stone (quarter moon shaped) facing outward, stand straight to protect against negative forces and cows, shows the markings of iron piping used to connect the stone piers, surround the cemetery's perimeter and demonstrate an early tradition throughout
New England of protecting the graveyard.

The stone wall partially bordering the higher elevation is the same granite stone used in the nearby bridge, buildings and promenades throughout the national historical district of Peacedale, RI, built by many local tradesmen.

The ODHC Community

Many headstones belong to war veterans, Sons of the American Revolution (RISSAR), Daughters of the American Revolution (RISDAR) and locals who help build Peacedale and surrounding areas for the past two centuries. Some familiar names on headstones in Peacedale's history, [Hoxie, Louise M., The History of Peacedale, Rhode Island, 1968, Chapter 4, p. 32 Wakefield Printing Company for Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, RI] as Isaac Peace Hazard and Joseph Peace Hazard, are found amongst many others. [Laxton, Glenn, "From Peace Dale to a Confederate Prison", Mar/Apr 1992, Old Rhode Island Magazine, RI]

Oak Dell Cemetery contains about two thousand burials with 1,470 inscribed stones and twelve fieldstones by John Sterling in 2004. The starting dates for this cemetery was probably 1859 when there were six burials marked by gravestones. The dates on gravestones in this cemetery range from 1835 to present. If one charts the 120 gravestones found there by James N. Arnold's transcript of 1880, who mistakenly called it Oak Grove Cemetery, the few stones dated before 1859 indicates they were probably moved from other burying places to Oakdell Cemetery. [Sterling, John E. and Wheaton, James L., South Kingstown, Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries, 2004, p.157-159, Rhode Island Genealogical Society, Cherry Fletcher Bamberg, RI, ISBN 0-9604144-7-9]

Industrial Revolution in Peacedale, RI

Oak Dell Historical Cemetery is a fine sample of the Peacedale community [Hazard, Thomas Rowland, The Johnny Cake Papers of Shephard Tom, 1879,p. 230, 334 Sanborn Press Newport, RI.] at large, crossing all socio-economic lines with the prominent and the tradesmen sharing the same grounds, and with Rhode Island's freedoms, all religions were welcome to participate in purchasing family plots.

Bicentennial Marker and UTN location

Bicentennial marked RI Historical Cemetery # 37. Oak Dell Cemetery is located twenty feet north of Oakdell Street at telephone pole # 1925, eastern and southern bordered by Oak Dell Street, with granite stone pier boundary fence, partial stone granite wall, and chain link fence around perimeter. Acreage of Property is 2.75, UTM references, 19N 71-29-59.15 W, 19N 41-26-50.33 N, Peacedale, RI assessor plot 48-7 lot 107.

Footnotes

Exterior Link

[http://oakdellcemetery.org Oak Dell Historical Cemetery]

[http://quahog.org/factsfolklore/index.php?id=125 Quahog.org]

[http://www.rihs.org/mssinv/Mss483sg52.htm RI Historical Society]