Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km²) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments.

History

The cemetery was first organized under the Swan Point Cemetery Company, with a board of trustees. In 1858, a new charter was developed to make the cemetery administration non-profit, and it was taken over by a group known as the Proprietors of Swan Point Cemetery. In 1886, landscape architect H.W.S. Cleveland was hired to redesign the area. It is a cemetery park with its design inspired by the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted's

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge and Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, west of Boston. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brahmi ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most ...

. Among the first to make use of a tract of land within the cemetery was the First Congregational Society (now First

Unitarian Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present ...

Society). They moved several interments from older plots in Providence to Swan Point. Over the years additional land acquisition has expanded the cemetery to , and is still open to new interments today. The Swan Point Cemetery is widely considered to be the most prominent cemetery in Rhode Island due to the number of well known citizens of the state buried there. There are more governors, senators and congressmen buried there than any other cemetery in Rhode Island. Swan Point Cemetery was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1977. It is one of the two largest cemeteries in Providence with the other one being the

North Burial Ground The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island dating to 1700, the first public cemetery in Providence. It is located north of downtown Providence, bounded by North Main Street, Branch Avenue, the Moshassuck River, and Ce ...

Notable interments

Swan Point has the burials of many notable Rhode Island figures: *

Rachel Blodgett Adams Rachel Blodgett Adams (October 13, 1894–January 22, 1982) was an American mathematician and one of the first women to earn a doctorate in mathematics at Radcliffe College in 1921. Biography Rachel Blodgett was born in Woburn, Massachusetts ...

, 1921 Ph.D., mathematician * David Aldrich, American artist * Nelson W. Aldrich, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, grandfather of Vice President

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

Richard Steere Aldrich Richard Steere Aldrich (February 29, 1884December 25, 1941) was an American politician. He was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and served in the Rhode Island State Senate and the Rhode Island House of Representatives. ...

, U.S. Congressman, son of Nelson W. Aldrich *

Henry B. Anthony Henry Bowen Anthony (April 1, 1815 – September 2, 1884) was a United States newspaperman and political figure. He served as editor and was later part owner of the ''Providence Journal''. He was the 21st Governor of Rhode Island, serving betwee ...

, Governor of Rhode Island, and President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate * Lemuel H. Arnold, U.S. Congressman, Governor of Rhode Island * Richard Arnold,

Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

general *

Sullivan Ballou Sullivan Ballou (March 28, 1829July 29, 1861) was an American lawyer and politician from Rhode Island, and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered for an eloquent letter he wrote to his wife Sarah a week bef ...

, state politician, Civil War officer killed in action at the Battle of Bull Run, whose love letter to his wife was featured in Ken Burns's '' The Civil War'' * David L. Barnes, U.S. District judge, litigant in West v. Barnes * Augustus Osborn Bourn (1834-1925), Businessman and politician, Governor of Rhode Island 1883-1885 * Charles R. Brayton, Civil War officer, Postmaster of Providence and long time Republican political boss *

Ambrose Burnside Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the Civil War and three times Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successful inventor ...

, Major General in the Civil War, Governor of Rhode Island and U.S. Senator *

Adin Ballou Capron Adin Ballou Capron (January 9, 1841 – March 17, 1911) was an American miller and politician from the U.S. state of Rhode Island. He served in the American Civil War and was a member of the United States House of Representatives. Early li ...

, U.S. Congressman * Malcolm Greene Chace (1875–1955), industrialist, hockey innovator, and amateur tennis player * Malcolm Greene Chace Jr., (1904–1996) chairman of

Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Its main business and source of capital is insurance, from ...

during the 1960s * Malcolm Greene Chace III (1934–2011), board of directors of

1992–2007 * George Henry Corliss, inventor of the Corliss steam engine * Helen Metcalf Danforth (1887–1984) university president. *

Jane Anthony Davis Jane Anthony Davis (September 2, 1821 – April 1855) was an American artist. Until 1981 she was known only as J. A. Davis. Davis was born Jane Anthony in Warwick, Rhode Island, Warwick, Rhode Island, the daughter of Giles Anthony and Sara Robins ...

, American painter * Thomas Davis, U.S. Congressman * Thomas Wilson Dorr, Political reformer, revolutionary and Governor of Rhode Island * Sarah Elizabeth Doyle, Educator and reformer. * Thomas Arthur Doyle, long-serving mayor of Providence * Elisha Dyer, Governor of Rhode Island * Elisha Dyer Jr., Governor of Rhode Island, Mayor of Providence *

Benjamin Tucker Eames Benjamin Tucker Eames (June 4, 1818 – October 6, 1901) was a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island. Born in Dedham, Massachusetts, Eames attended the common schools of Providence, Rhode Island, and academies in Massachusetts and Connecticut. ...

, U.S. Congressman * C. M. Eddy Jr., author * Theodore Foster, U.S. Senator *

Albert Gallup Albert Gallup (January 30, 1796 – November 5, 1851) was a U.S. Representative from New York, serving on term from 1837 to 1839. Early life Gallup was born in East Berne, New York to Nathaniel Gallup (1770–1834) and Lucy (née Latham) Gallup ...

, U.S. Congressman * Lucius F. C. Garvin, Governor of Rhode Island * Darius Goff, Pawtucket businessman and textile mill owner. * Daniel L. D. Granger, U.S. Congressman * Theodore F. Green, Governor of Rhode Island and U.S. Senator *

William S. Hayward William S. Hayward (February 26, 1835 – November 5, 1900) was an American banker, baker, and politician who served as mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, from 1881 until 1884. Early life Hayward was "born and reared a poor boy" in Foster, ...

, Mayor of Providence *

Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...

, American painter and teacher *

William Warner Hoppin William Warner Hoppin (September 1, 1807 – April 19, 1890) was the 24th Governor of Rhode Island from 1854 to 1857. Early life Hoppin was a native of Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated from the Hopkins School in 1824 and then went to Yal ...

, Governor of Rhode Island *

Charles Tillinghast James Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

, U.S. Senator *

Thomas Allen Jenckes Thomas Allen Jenckes I (November 2, 1818 – November 4, 1875) was a United States representative from Rhode Island. Jenckes was best known for introducing a bill that created the United States Department of Justice. President Ulysses S. Grant th ...

, U.S. Congressman * William Jones, Governor of Rhode Island *

Herbert W. Ladd Herbert Warren Ladd (October 15, 1843November 29, 1913) was the 40th and 42nd Governor of Rhode Island for two terms: 1889–90 and 1891–92. Life and career Ladd was born in New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts on October 15, 1 ...

, Governor of Rhode Island *

Benedict Lapham Benedict Lapham (June 26, 1816 – June 16, 1883) was a New England industrialist and philanthropist. Biography He was born in Burrillville, Rhode Island to a Yankee family on June 26, 1816. His parents were Phebe Arnold and Reverend Richard La ...

, industrialist, philanthropist *

Oscar Lapham Oscar Lapham (June 29, 1837 – March 29, 1926) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of Rhode Island. He served as a member of the Rhode Island Senate and the United States House of Representatives. Early life Lapham w ...

, U.S. Congressman *

Charles W. Lippitt Charles Warren Lippitt (October 8, 1846 – April 4, 1924) was an American politician and the 44th Governor of Rhode Island. Early life Lippitt was born in Providence, Rhode Island on October 8, 1846. He graduated from Brown University. Later, ...

, Governor of Rhode Island *

Frederick Lippitt Frederick Lippitt (December 29, 1916 – May 11, 2005) was an American military officer, attorney, politician, public servant and philanthropist. He was the scion of a distinguished Rhode Island colonial family, the son of United States Senat ...

, Philanthropist *

Henry Lippitt Henry Lippitt (October 9, 1818 – June 5, 1891) was the 33rd Governor of Rhode Island from 1875 to 1877. Family Lippitt was the son of Warren Lippitt and Eliza (Seamans) Lippitt, married to Mary Ann Balch. Lippitt was the father of Charles W ...

, Governor of Rhode Island *

Henry Frederick Lippitt Henry Frederick Lippitt (October 12, 1856December 28, 1933) was a member of the prominent Lippitt family, which made its fortune in the textile business, and served as United States Senator from Rhode Island. Biography Born in Providence on ...

, U.S. Senator *

Alfred Henry Littlefield Alfred Henry Littlefield (April 2, 1829 – December 21, 1893) was an American businessman and politician. He was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and the Rhode Island Senate, and was the Governor of Rhode Island, 35th ...

, Governor of Rhode Island * H. P. Lovecraft, American author * Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf (1830–1895), founder and director of a university. *

Jesse Houghton Metcalf Jesse Houghton Metcalf (November 16, 1860October 9, 1942) was an American politician, he served as a United States senator from Rhode Island. Early life Born in Providence, Metcalf was educated in private schools there, studied textile manu ...

, U.S. Senator * Seth Padelford, Governor of Rhode Island *

Charles H. Page Charles Harrison Page (July 19, 1843 – July 21, 1912) was a U.S. Representative from Rhode Island. Born in Glocester, Rhode Island, Page attended public schools. During the Civil War Page enlisted in the Union Army as a private at the age of ...

, U.S. Congressman * Vahram Papazyan, Olympic runner * Whipple Van Buren Phillips, businessman * Eliza Greene Metcalf Radeke (1854–1931), university president. * D.W. Reeves (1838-1900), bandleader known as "father of band music in America" * Elisha Hunt Rhodes, Union Civil War veteran featured prominently in Ken Burns's '' The Civil War'' *

Horatio Rogers Jr. Horatio Rogers Jr. (May 18, 1836 – November 12, 1904) was an American lawyer, judge, and Union Army officer in the American Civil War. He was the Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1864 to 1867 and again from 1888 to 1889. From 1891 to 1903, ...

, Attorney General of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice *

James Y. Smith James Youngs Smith (September 15, 1809 – March 26, 1876) was an American politician and the 29th Governor of Rhode Island (May 26, 1863 – May 29, 1866). Early life Smith was born in Poquonock Village in Groton, Connecticut, to Amos D. Smith ...

, Mayor of Providence and Governor of Rhode Island * William Sprague III, Governor of Rhode Island and U.S. Senator *

William Sprague IV William Sprague IV (September 12, 1830September 11, 1915) was the 27th Governor of Rhode Island from 1860 to 1863, and U.S. Senator from 1863 to 1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War while he was a ...

, Governor of Rhode Island and U.S. Senator * Alfred Stone, Providence architect * Royal C. Taft, Governor of Rhode Island *

George William Whitaker George William Whitaker (September 25, 1840 – March 6, 1916) was a prominent Rhode Island landscape painter during the late 19th and early 20th century, known as the "Dean of Providence painters" or the "Dean of Rhode Island Artists." Early l ...

(1840–1916), the "Dean of Providence Painters"

References

External links

Swan Point Cemetery official website
* *
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island Cemeteries in Rhode Island Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Protected areas of Providence County, Rhode Island Tourist attractions in Providence, Rhode Island 1846 establishments in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island Rural cemeteries

History

Notable interments

See also

References

External links