Clayville in Scituate in Providence County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)

New Rockland Cemetery

Scituate Heritage Trail

— Historic Scituate, Rhode Island —

New Rockland Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 19, 2026

1. New Rockland Cemetery Marker

Inscription.
New Rockland Cemetery was established in 1918 to inter the bodies removed from smaller cemeteries in the farms and villages, including the original Rockland Village Cemetery, which was condemned for the Providence Reservoir project. Each grave was carefully plotted which was condemned for the Providence Reservoir project. Each grave was carefully records, 1,598 graves were exhumed, and 1,448 were reinterred at New Rockland Cemetery.

The cemetery record was filed in the Office of the Scituate Town Clerk on September 19, 1918. The Town of Scituate declined to accept responsibility for the maintenance of the burial ground, which has since been the obligation of the City of Providence.

Property owners whose land was forfeited to the reservoir prject were distraught over the loss. One of the two confirmed suicides was Fred S. Hill, 1865-1926. Hill owned a considerable amount of land in Scituate, which included a farmhouse and barns. His death certificate lists the cause as "suicide by cutting throat."

Sam Tourtellot, who served as Scituate Town Treasurer for over half a cnetury, advocated for the proper, respectful

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removal of the graves from many of the cemeteries that would be submerged or inaccessible due to the reservoir project. He also served as the undertaker for the transition of the burial sites.

New Rockland Cemetery was one of two sites chosen for the relocated graves. The other site was south of the village of Kent.

Erected 2021 by Town of Scituate, Rhode Island. (Marker Number 18.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Government & Politics • Natural Resources. A significant historical date for this entry is September 19, 1918.

Location. 41° 46.848′ N, 71° 40.456′ W. Marker is in Scituate, Rhode Island, in Providence County. It is in Clayville. It is at the intersection of Plainfield Pike (Rhode Island Route 102) and Rockland Cemetery Road, on the right when traveling west on Plainfield Pike. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1921 Plainfield Pike, Clayville RI 02815, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Providence.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in New England,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally,

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 19, 2026

2. New Rockland Cemetery Marker

it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Clayville: Comb Factory Village (approx. half a mile away); Gaetano Del Guidice (approx. 1.2 miles away); Grover C. Walker Memorial (approx. 1.2 miles away); Foster Town House (approx. 2.4 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away); WW II Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away); Benjamin Eddy Building (approx. 2.4 miles away); Town Jail (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scituate.

Additional keywords. rural displacement

Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 2 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 3, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.