This lecture will take place in the Belmont Chapel at Island Cemetery. The first three generations of carvers from the Stevens family will be featured. Two additional cravers with Stevens family connections to be explored will be Pompei Stevens, the only known carver of African heritage, and John Bull, related to the Stevens family by marriage.

The tour will start at the Warner Street entrance to the Common Burying Ground and focus on the gravestones. Work of members of the Stevens family, and John Bull will be included in the tour along with stones carved by William Mumford, a noted Boston carver.

Practical shoes are recommended as the ground is slopped and a bit uneven in places.

This lecture will take place in the Belmont Chapel and focus on the section of the Common Burying Ground known as God’s Little Acre. It contains the largest collection of graves with headstones for people of African heritage that lived in colonial America. The lecture will introduce the site and stones to participants with some people and stones highlighted.

Participants will then leave the chapel to tour the site.

The tour includes two colonial era burial sites, the Governor Arnold site and the Trinity Churchyard. The Arnold site is an excellent example of a family site that was common in 18th century Rhode Island. Governor Arnold was an influential person in the early days of the colony. This site was desecrated and then restored by Alice Brayton. The Trinity Churchyard is a quintessential English burial site. Buried together are patriots, loyalists, French soldiers and important church members.