It seems like every neighborhood in RI has at least one long-forgotten graveyard. There must be at least a dozen within a two-mile radius of my house. Some are overgrown with brush and trees just beyond the stonewalls that run through every backyard and neighborhood. Others are in danger of spilling onto the roads of South Kingstown. So why all the backyard cemeteries?

According to the Rhode Island Historical Society, “The political and religious history of the RI colony is behind this practice. RI was the only colony to have separation of church and state. In other colonies, each town was to some extent a parish of the church. New towns were formed by splitting off a second or third parish. The center of town was the green, where all public buildings were located, including the church. Residents of the town were buried around the church. In RI, which was founded on the principle of religious tolerance, the churches were much smaller, and there were many scattered throughout the towns. Therefore the town green system did not develop.”