Nestled behind the Cranston Orthodontics on Phenix Ave and between houses rests over 100 former Cranston residents dating back to 1785. For years, the lot, located behind the old Knightsville Meeting House, was overrun with briars and weeds.

Cemetery Historian James N. Arnold noted the neglect and overgrowth when he visited the lot in 1890. Today, the cemetery offers a shady recluse from the summer heat. It’s freshly mowed with a maintained wood-chip path (the result of an Eagle Scout project of Gavin Steever of Cranston Troop 22).

The transformation of Cranston Historical Cemetery CR20 was the hard work of the Cranston Historical Cemetery Commission (CHCC), which has restored these lots around the city, home to over 160 identified historic cemeteries.

These revitalized cemeteries, the work of dedicated volunteers, often get a spotlight on CHCC’s Facebook page. The page tells the stories of those laid to rest in Cranston’s historical cemeteries, sharing tales of those as old as Revolutionary War veterans on social media.

With more than 8,000 followers, the commission helps revive the stories of the cemeteries.

“We can complete the story with a larger community on Facebook,” said CHCC Vice Chair Paul Tognetti.

In fact, Facebook was where Sara Szerlag first learned of the commission. Now, she and her 8-year-old son Joseph take care of Cranston Cemetery CR068.

After moving to Cranston from Warwick, Szerlag adopted the 18-grave cemetery. In the back corner, she found a familiar name on a headstone: Sarah.

Grave was moved from Warwick

After digging into her history, Szerlag found that Sarah was not related to anyone else in the cemetery. Actually, 200 years after her death, she was moved from a Warwick cemetery to Cranston. Szerlag has yet to figure out why.

“I take special care of her,” Szerlag said, even planting flowers for Sarah.

Szlerag adopted the cemetery last year around Memorial Day but has always been interested in local history. She joins a team of volunteers that has adopted around two dozen of Cranston’s historical cemeteries.

No one is legally responsible for these cemeteries, and many times no one even owns the land that it is on, leading the lots to fall into disarray. But for the CHCC, that is unacceptable.

“The paths they walked are the same ones we walk on,” said CHCC chairman John Hill. “They shaped our world.”

“This world is this way because of them,” he added.

As a sign of respect, CHCC and its volunteers work to ensure their resting place is maintained. They mow the grass, cut overgrown weeds (sometimes poison ivy) and restore neglected headstones.

Super volunteer

Scott Cohoon — a “super volunteer” according to Hill — takes care of eight cemeteries.

“It’s an opportunity to give back and remember those who have gone before us -- especially the veterans who fought in the early wars of the country,” he said. “Too often society tends to overlook, or offer a brush past look, cemeteries and their occupants. If we can clean and maintain the plots, we can help others learn about our past.”

Christine McWilliams, who has adopted CR57 on Laconia Road, used to live down the street and still owns property there. She passes the cemetery frequently and felt she could maintain the little 10-burial Nathan Pearce Lot. She has been doing it for three years now.

Tognetti adopted cemetery CR36, the Sheldon Lot on Park Avenue, which contains the graves of some original Pawtuxet Rangers. He went by one day when the grass was hip-high and decided that the cemetery needed tending. He has maintained it for three years now. The commissions are always looking for volunteers to help.

Cranston is not alone in its cemetery adoption program. Warwick also has an active commission, led by Pegee Malcolm. Malcolm has always been interested in cemeteries, drawn to their history and tranquility. From reading old headstones, Malcolm gleans information about some of the country’s first citizens.

“It’s history in the making,” she said. “Those people buried in the cemeteries that we take care of -- they had no idea what Warwick would look like right now.”

In Warwick, around 30 historical cemeteries have been adopted by volunteers who Malcolm dubs as “angels.” Warwick has 166 known historical cemeteries.

“Historic cemeteries are pretty much left on their own unless somebody like us steps in and takes care of them,” she said.

These cemeteries provide extensive archival information on Rhode Island’s past, an important tool for genealogists, as gravesites contain information about family relationships that would be otherwise forgotten, said Mark Brown, a member of the Warwick Commission.

By “preserving historical cemeteries, you’re preserving history,” Brown said. “It’s the preservation of personal histories.”

When Mary Channing, of Warwick, bought her property in 2005, she recalled the nearby historical cemetery — then overgrown — was one of its main draws. After moving in, she immediately looked into the adoption program to help restore the cemetery. The cemetery is the resting place for two brothers who died during the Civil War — one from medical complications and the other when his ship was sunken.

“It’s important for us to protect the history of our country,” she said.

Those with an interest in cleaning or adopting a historical cemetery in Cranston contact John Hill at 401-461-9371, Paul Tognetti, at 401-450-1739; in Warwick contact Sue Cabeceiras at 401-921-9687; or anywhere else in Rhode Island Pegee Malcolm at 401-527-1823.