Kickemuit Cemetary-Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Warren #3

I stumbled over Kickemuit Cemetery about 10 years ago when I stopped to take a photo of the fall colors over the Warren Reservoir. After I took my photos I started looking at the beautiful carvings on the gravestones and was captivated by both the beautiful carvings on the stones and also the age of these stones. Some of the earliest settlers of Warren are buried here and many revolutionary war grave stones are in this cemetery which winds along the Warren Reservoir. After studying the carvings on these grave stones I started visiting other burial grounds around New England that had grave stones carved before 1800. Most grave stones carved before 1800 feature a "flying effigy" which is either a skull (usually before 1860) or a head with wings. They symbolized the flight of the body up to heaven after death. Some stones had just carvings of a person's head and neck, but some of the people are wearing interesting colonial clothing. You can also find interesting symbols of life and resurrection such as skull and cross bones, over turned sand clocks, death darts, etc. After 1800 grave stone styles changed to feature weeping willows and classical urns--neither of which interested me. Also soon after 1800 they started making grave stones by machine and all the magic was gone.
Since visiting this cemetery I have now visited over 120 cemeteries around New England. I can't say that my wife is thrilled as I pull the car over to examine old burial grounds with my camera, but the skill and artistry of colonial stone carvers has brought me years of joy.

AS Sam mentioned, this is one of the earlier cemeteries in Warren. Many of the names found on the stones can be found in modern day street names i.e. Patience, Prudence, Hezekiah, etc... There is even a stone with a death date in the late 1700's (I want to say 1794 but can't be sure).