“The significance of our work in these cemeteries is that they are a part of this town’s history and development,” Steve Merolla said Saturday. “But it’s also the fact that ancestors of these people have an interest in them.”
Merolla, a member of the Johnston Historical Society’s Cemetery Committee, was speaking on a windy, chilly morning at Cemetery #28 – a.k.a. the Steere Lot – that’s located on Green Earth Avenue in Johnston.
Although it was Rhode Island Historic Cemetery Appreciation Day, cleaning up a historical cemetery is nothing new to society members.
“Our group goes into the field virtually every Sunday morning,” Merolla said. “It’s something we all enjoy doing. But maybe this one was a little different and how the clean-up began.”
The eight people who are interred at the cemetery are members of the Sprague and Lindenberger families.
“Their stones are slate and located at the back of the cemetery,” Merolla said. “The Spragues lived in this area of town back in the 18th century, and as a matter of fact, there is a Sprague cemetery just around the corner from this one.”
Meanwhile, as history has it, the Lindenbergers were not a Johnston family, but married into the Sprague family.
“And that’s one reason why Nick is here today,” Merolla said of Nick Sprague, a Rhode Islander and ancestor of the Sprague family, who had previously worked on his own cleaning up Cemetery #28 but wanted to be part of the Cemetery Committee’s effort Saturday.
Nick, though, isn’t the only family member who has pride in Cemetery #28.
Several weeks ago, historical society president Lou McGowan received a telephone call from another ancestor of the Sprague-Lindenberger line who was visiting from Salt Lake City and said she wanted to see where her ancestors are buried.
McGowan obliged and took the woman to Cemetery #28, where she walked the ground where her family members walked over 200 years ago.
“The fact that someone would visit from Utah to visit and ancestor’s grave gives members of our committee great satisfaction in the work that we do and its importance,” Merolla said. “I’m sure we will send her photos when the work is complete.”
It’s work that will be done in two steps, as Macari explained Saturday.
As the sound of Everett Cogswell’s chainsaw pierced the chilly air, society members like Doug Stephens, McGowan, Arthur Iannelli, Merolla, Marie Thierfelder, and Elise Carlson – and Sprague – did everything from raking leaves to stacking pieces of fallen tree branches and other debris.
Sims Metals Recycling, which actually owns the property where the cemetery is located and has approved the cleanup project, will build steps so that people won’t have to climb over huge rocks to view the different graves.
“We now have a great working relationship with Sims Metals thanks to Doug Stephens,” Merolla said. “He was our liaison and worked with Sims public relations manager Ken Marandola and facility manager Vincent Hill. Doug did a lot of the legwork on the project.”
Merolla said the Cemetery Committee will be back at #28 Sunday to finish the cleanup.
“After that,” he said, “Sims people will be cutting down more trees, and after that we will begin the process of stone re-setting and repair.”
A new sign, which Macari showed off Saturday, will also be installed.
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