Recently, large interpretive plaques were installed throughout Newport’s historic gravesites. Simmered underground for decades and even centuries, we can now learn of people and events long forgotten. These new plaques help bring our buried history to the surface and invite us to see our present differently and appreciate the struggles and triumphs of the past.
Let’s celebrate these new installations for their design and purpose. Not just waypoints on a walking tour, they anchor the cultural, spiritual, and historic stories we cannot afford to forget.
None of this work can be done without many collaborators. Thanks to the unwavering dedication of Newport’s Cemetery Commission, headed Lew Keen, the generous support of Discover Newport’s Evan Smith, and the skilled work by the City’s Public Services Department, our buried history has come back to life.
Lynn Underwood Ceglie Newport City Council, 2nd Ward
