Wealthy
famous
and
deceased
Island Cemetery is a very large graveyard in a part of Newport that has lots of cemeteries. If it wasn't for the fences it would be very difficult to tell where one ended and another started.
There are thousands of graves here and some of the most wealthy and famous Newport residents were laid to rest in this graveyard. Of course with very rich people usually comes very large and opulent memorials.
There are indeed some very impressive gravestones but plenty of more modest ones too. The cemetery was started in the mid 19th century so the real old graves are found in other graveyards.
Many of the rich and famous people here are know only to people knowledgeable with Newport history but others like Oliver Hazard Perry, the famous naval commander and hero, will probably ring a bell with most people.
It's interesting to look at some of the very elaborate and obviously expensive graves but the more mundane ones are touching too. Just so many and different ones. Lots of people from lots of places. The one thing that they all share is that they are all no longer alive.. read more