Swan Point Cemetery

Swan Point Cemetery
Swan Point Cemetery
	Entrance sign for Swan Point Cemetery
Details
Established	1846
Location	585 Blackstone Boulevard, East Side, Providence, Rhode Island
Country	United States
Type	Rural cemetery
Size	200 acres (81 ha)
Website	Cemetery website
Find a Grave	Swan Point Cemetery
	Swan Point Cemetery
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°51′10″N 71°22′58″W / 41.8528776°N 71.3828347°W
Built	1846
Architect	Multiple, including H. W. S. Cleveland
NRHP reference No.	77000007 (original); 78003445 (increase)
Added to NRHP	October 5, 1977
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Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km²) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments.^[2]

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 of the first rural garden cemetery in the United States, Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Among the first to make use of a tract of land within the cemetery was the First Congregational Society (now First Unitarian Society). They moved several interments from older plots in Providence to Swan Point. Over the years additional land acquisition has expanded the cemetery to 200 acres (0.81 km²), 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 in 1977. It is one of the two largest cemeteries in Providence with the other one being the North Burial Ground.

Notable interments

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

Rachel Blodgett Adams, 1921 Ph.D., mathematician
David Aldrich, American artist^[3]
Nelson W. Aldrich, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Senator, grandfather of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller^[4]
Richard Steere Aldrich, U.S. Congressman, son of Nelson W. Aldrich^[5]
Henry B. Anthony, Governor of Rhode Island, and President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate^[6]
Lemuel H. Arnold, U.S. Congressman, Governor of Rhode Island^[7]
Richard Arnold, Union army general^{[citation needed]}
Sullivan Ballou, 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^[8]
David L. Barnes, U.S. District judge, litigant in West v. Barnes^{[citation needed]}
Bathsheba A. Benedict, (1809–1897), abolitionist and philanthropist, and benefactor of Benedict College
Lester D. Boronda (1886–1953), painter, furniture designer, sculptor^[9]^[10]
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^[3]
Ambrose Burnside, Major General in the Civil War, Governor of Rhode Island and U.S. Senator^[3]
Adin Ballou Capron, U.S. Congressman^[11]
Malcolm Greene Chace (1875–1955), industrialist, hockey innovator, and amateur tennis player^[12]
Malcolm Greene Chace Jr., (1904–1996) chairman of Berkshire Hathaway during the 1960s^[12]
Malcolm Greene Chace III (1934–2011), board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway 1992–2007^[12]
George Coby (1883 - 1967), Georgian/American industrialist, chemist and philanthropist. Inventor of first electrical Christmas tree lights, waterproof concrete and construction grade glass bricks.
George Henry Corliss, inventor of the Corliss steam engine^[3]
Helen Metcalf Danforth (1887–1984) university president.^[13]
Jane Anthony Davis, American painter^[14]
Thomas Davis, U.S. Congressman^[15]
Thomas Wilson Dorr, Political reformer, revolutionary and Governor of Rhode Island ^[3]
Sarah Elizabeth Doyle, Educator and reformer.^[16]
Thomas Arthur Doyle, long-serving mayor of Providence^[12]
Elisha Dyer, Governor of Rhode Island^[17]
Elisha Dyer Jr., Governor of Rhode Island, Mayor of Providence^[18]
Benjamin Tucker Eames, U.S. Congressman^[19]
C. M. Eddy Jr., author^[3]
Theodore Foster, U.S. Senator^[20]
Albert Gallup, U.S. Congressman^[21]
Lucius F. C. Garvin, Governor of Rhode Island^[18]
Darius Goff, Pawtucket businessman and textile mill owner.
Daniel L. D. Granger, U.S. Congressman^[19]
Theodore F. Green, Governor of Rhode Island and U.S. Senator ^[18]
William S. Hayward, Mayor of Providence
Robert Henri, American painter and teacher^{[citation needed]}
William Warner Hoppin, Governor of Rhode Island^[17]
Charles Tillinghast James, U.S. Senator^[22]
Thomas Allen Jenckes, U.S. Congressman^[19]
William Jones, Governor of Rhode Island^[17]
Herbert W. Ladd, Governor of Rhode Island^[23]
Benedict Lapham, industrialist, philanthropist^[24]
Oscar Lapham, U.S. Congressman^[25]
Charles W. Lippitt, Governor of Rhode Island ^[17]
Frederick Lippitt, Philanthropist
Henry Lippitt, Governor of Rhode Island ^[17]
Henry Frederick Lippitt, U.S. Senator^[26]
Alfred Henry Littlefield, Governor of Rhode Island^[17]
H. P. Lovecraft, American author^[3]
Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf (1830–1895), founder and director of a university.^[27]
Jesse Houghton Metcalf, U.S. Senator^[28]
Seth Padelford, Governor of Rhode Island^[17]
Charles H. Page, U.S. Congressman^[29]
Vahram Papazyan, Olympic runner^{[citation needed]}
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"^[30]
Elisha Hunt Rhodes, Union Civil War veteran featured prominently in Ken Burns's The Civil War
Horatio Rogers Jr., Attorney General of Rhode Island and Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice
James Y. Smith, Mayor of Providence and Governor of Rhode Island^[31]
William Sprague III, Governor of Rhode Island and U.S. Senator^[17]
William Sprague IV, Governor of Rhode Island and U.S. Senator^[17]
Margaret Bingham Stillwell, bibliographer and librarian
Alfred Stone, Providence architect^[3]
Royal C. Taft, Governor of Rhode Island
George William Whitaker (1840–1916), the "Dean of Providence Painters"^[12]
Henry Clarke Wright, (1797-1870), preacher, writer and abolitionist.^[32]

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^ "Celebrating life since 1846". Retrieved November 23, 2013. Swan Point Cemetery was established in 1846 on a 60-acre tract of land bordering The Neck Road (now The Old Road) and extending easterly to the shore of the Seekonk River. ...
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "A History of Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Aldrich, Nelson Wilmarth, (1841–1915)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Aldrich, Richard Steere, (1884–1941)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Anthony, Henry Bowen, (1815–1884)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Arnold, Lemuel Hastings, (1792–1852)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "A History of Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Lester Boronda, Prominent Artist, Succumbs at 67". The Day. September 19, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved February 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Obituary for Lester D. Boronda". Reno Gazette-Journal. October 1, 1953. p. 14. Retrieved February 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Capron, Adin Ballou, (1841–1911)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Burial Information". Swan Point Cemetery. Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
^ "Danforth". Rhode Island Historic Cemeteries. RI Historic Cemetery Commission. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
^ Gerard C. Wertkin (2004). Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. Routledge. ISBN 978-1135956141.
^ "Davis, Thomas, (1806–1895)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Notable Persons Interred at Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Notable Persons Interred at Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 432. ISBN 978-0806348230.
^ ^a ^b ^c Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 296. ISBN 978-0806348230.
^ "Foster, Theodore, (1752–1828)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 239. ISBN 978-0806348230.
^ "James, Charles Tillinghast, (1805–1862)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Governor Herbert W. Ladd (1843–1913), Papers of, 1872–1912". State of Rhode Island. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "A History of Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Lapham, Oscar, (1837–1926)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Lippitt, Henry Frederick, (1856–1933)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
^ "Metcalf, Jesse Houghton, (1860–1942)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Page, Charles Harrison, (1843–1912)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
^ "Swan Point burial information". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
^ Biographical Cyclopedia of Representative Men of Rhode Island. Providence: National Biographical Publishing Co. 1881. p. 360.
^ "In Memoriam". Fall River Daily Evening News. December 5, 1870. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.

[2] "Celebrating life since 1846". Retrieved November 23, 2013. Swan Point Cemetery was established in 1846 on a 60-acre tract of land bordering The Neck Road (now The Old Road) and extending easterly to the shore of the Seekonk River. ...

[A_History_of_Swan_Point_Cemetery-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "A History of Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[4] "Aldrich, Nelson Wilmarth, (1841–1915)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[5] "Aldrich, Richard Steere, (1884–1941)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[6] "Anthony, Henry Bowen, (1815–1884)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[7] "Arnold, Lemuel Hastings, (1792–1852)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[8] "A History of Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[The_Day-1953-9] "Lester Boronda, Prominent Artist, Succumbs at 67". The Day. September 19, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved February 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Obituary for Lester D. Boronda". Reno Gazette-Journal. October 1, 1953. p. 14. Retrieved February 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] "Capron, Adin Ballou, (1841–1911)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[SwanpointDatabase-12] "Burial Information". Swan Point Cemetery. Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved August 19, 2015.

[13] "Danforth". Rhode Island Historic Cemeteries. RI Historic Cemetery Commission. Retrieved March 6, 2022.

[Wertkin2004-14] Gerard C. Wertkin (2004). Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. Routledge. ISBN 978-1135956141.

[15] "Davis, Thomas, (1806–1895)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[16] "Notable Persons Interred at Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved June 1, 2014.

[Swan_Point_Cemetery-17] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Notable Persons Interred at Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[Spencer_1998_432-18] Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 432. ISBN 978-0806348230.

[Spencer_1998_296-19] Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 296. ISBN 978-0806348230.

[20] "Foster, Theodore, (1752–1828)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[21] Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 239. ISBN 978-0806348230.

[22] "James, Charles Tillinghast, (1805–1862)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[23] "Governor Herbert W. Ladd (1843–1913), Papers of, 1872–1912". State of Rhode Island. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[24] "A History of Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[25] "Lapham, Oscar, (1837–1926)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[26] "Lippitt, Henry Frederick, (1856–1933)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[27] "Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 6, 2022.

[28] "Metcalf, Jesse Houghton, (1860–1942)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[29] "Page, Charles Harrison, (1843–1912)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 26, 2014.

[30] "Swan Point burial information". Swan Point Cemetery. Retrieved July 15, 2021.

[31] Biographical Cyclopedia of Representative Men of Rhode Island. Providence: National Biographical Publishing Co. 1881. p. 360.

[32] "In Memoriam". Fall River Daily Evening News. December 5, 1870. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

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