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Virtual Tours
Thematic virtual tours allow you to explore the North Burial Ground in several ways. You may explore using either the linked GIS map or by clicking through biographies of the interred. Select one of the tours below to begin.
The Tours
Click on the images below to access a tour.
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For almost four hundred years, the people of Providence have fostered culture in southern New England. In literature, visual arts, music, jewelry-making, and other fields, the city has long functioned as the region's creative capital. This tour focuses on the contributions of some of the most creative people interred in the North Burial Ground.
H.P. Lovecraft Connections
Howard P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), one of the most significant authors of weird/horror fiction in the 20th century, was a nearly lifelong resident of Providence. While he and his ancestors are buried at the Swan Point Cemetery, there are numerous Lovecraft connections with the North Burial Ground. These connections include characters and settings from his fiction as well as real-life neighbors and acquaintances.
War for Independence
The roots of revolution run deep in Rhode Island, in some ways dating to the original settlement by Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson and other like-minded dissenters in the 1630s. Throughout the 18th century, many Rhode Islanders, especially those engaged in shipping, challenged British authority through tax evasion and smuggling, and often openly disregarded the law.
Civil War
More than 500 Civil War veterans are buried in the North Burial Ground, including African American soldiers of the 14th RI Heavy Artillery, the legendary Kady Brownell, and Medal of Honor recipient William Avery. In addition, many other Rhode Islanders connected to the war effort through industrial production or politics are also to be found on this tour.
Riot of 1824
The Riot began on October 17, 1824 as a confrontation between young white and black men over the right to use a sidewalk that was not in Hard Scrabble. The perceived lack of deference to whites led a large mob to gather at the Great Bridge, then proceed along the canal and begin to tear down residences. Numerous individuals involved in or affected by the rioting are to be found on the tour.
Women of Providence
This tour includes diverse stories of individual women interred in the North Burial Ground, from 17th century colonists to 20th century immigrants. They are scholars, musicians, inventors, writers, publishers, homemakers, caregivers, philanthropists, crusaders, leaders, and pioneers. Together their history reveals the richness of women's contributions to the culture, economy, and political life of the city, state, and beyond.
World War I
This tour is currently under construction, to be unveiled in 2019 in conjunction with a commemoration of the centennial of the Treaty of Versailles.
A partial tour was previously put together by Rhode Island College first-year students, available here: https://projectnbg-ric.weebly.com/world-war-i-veterans.html
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Future tours?
Have an idea for a tour theme? Use the contact form on this site to let us know. If you have some special knowledge related to some of the people interred in the North Burial Ground, so much the better.
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