Volume VI - Winter 2026
The News from Island Cemetery
Serving Newport’s families for over 175 years …
2025 Year-End Update
As 2025 drew to a close, the Board of Directors of Island Cemetery met in December to review the year, assess our financial position, and look ahead to priorities for 2026. We are pleased to share the following highlights with our community.
Chapel Programming Comes Into Its Own
Merry Carolers
performing a selection of Christmas carols to a full house in the Chapel on Dec. 13, 2025.
2025 was the first full year of operations for Belmont Chapel, and the results exceeded expectations. Chapel activities—including burials, weddings, concerts, lectures, and tours—generated nearly $15,000 in revenue while deepening community engagement.
Highlights included musical presentations from Princess June, Puddingstone Musical Events, two performances from Newport’s own Bobby Cowsill of the Cowsill Family, and the ever popular Merry Carolers. Lew Keen’s lectures in the Belmont Chapel drew visitors into the cemetery and intrigued listeners with stories of famous persons from the Newport’s Gilded Age as well as a return engagement with the Spirits of Island Cemetery.
Free Events
Free events offered to support and engage our community included:.
A presentation on hurricane preparation by Raymond J. Perry, CEM, Capt. USCG (Ret.) the Emergency Manager for the Town of Portsmouth RI
Norwegian Fiddle Music and culture presented by Vilde Aaslid
Blackships Festival Remembrance at the Belmont Circle
Belmont Chapel Open Houses
Gravestone Restoration Workshops
Newport Strings Pocket Concerts
Be sure to Save the Date for the 5th annual Belmont Stakes to be held on June 6, 2026.
Public Relations
Local news featured several events and projects to help spread the word about events and improvements in Newport’s only historic cemetery with burial spaces available for sale.
Newport Life’s Bob Curley did a beautiful spread on the chapel in the January/February 2025 issue at https://www.newportlifemagazine.com/featured/a-loving-restoration-brings-belmont-chapel-back-to-life/.
Upcoming …
The events program continues to expand through partnerships with the Newport Art Museum, Salve Regina University, and local veterans and military groups, whose volunteer efforts made a visible impact on cemetery grounds this fall. Planning is already underway for a rich 2026 season, including musical concerts, a new series on“Death & Dying Support” launching this winter and Lew Keen’s 2026 Winter Lecture Series .
Restoration Projects
Grounds Improvements
Several visible improvements were advanced in 2025, including the installation of a new fence between Common and Island Cemetery, collaboratively support by the Newport Historic Cemetery Commission, the City of Newport, and Island Cemetery. Additional fence sections near the chapel entrance are planned, supported in part by donor contributions.
With help from Atlantic Lawn and Grass, we restored the curbing around the Travers Circle that had been dislodged because of frost heaves and resettling of the ground.
Legacy Lots - Honoring the Past, Caring for the Future
Work continues on the restoration of several historic family lots, with support from descendants and friends of the cemetery: the Prince and deRamel family members funded a complete restoration of the Norman lot, the Phelps family members have donated for the restoration of the monuments in the Kane lot and we are in touch with the Coaching Club for possible additional support to restore the wall around the lot; the Kissell and Whitehouse family members have paid for cleanup and landscaping of the Sherman and Wetmore lots; and, Pell family members have done the same for the Pell lot. With these restorations, the cemetery is beginning to look like it is being cared for as it deserves.
We have raised almost half of the funds needed to restore the Richard Morris Hunt exedra in the Belmont Circle and are hoping to get that restoration done this year.
New Developments
A Newport District Alliance
Last April, Island Cemetery Newport hosted a one day workshop in Newport to consider how the seven contiguous historic cemeteries (which include Island Cemetery and Annex, Common Burial Ground, God’s Little Acre, Friends Cemetery, Braman, and North Burial Ground) might collaborate on developing an achievable vision for connecting and developing their open space.
As a result of the workshop and following steering committee discussions, Friends of Belmont Chapel and Island Cemetery submitted a proposal to the van Beuren Charitable Foundation for funding to support the objectives of the workshop. We are pleased to announce that the vBCF has awarded funds for the development of a unified Cemetery District Master Plan, integrating architectural planning for key operational buildings with district-wide landscape, preservation, and visitor-experience strategies. The planning effort will also formalize a collaborative Cemetery District Alliance to guide future implementation.
Cemetery District Master Plan
Landscape Architect, Tanya Kelley, of PLACEstudio, LLC will convene the steering committee and stakeholders to collaborate on the development of the master plan.
Administration Building Restoration and Renovation
Architect Gregory Yalanis, AIA, has been hired to draw up plans and specs to include renovating the 2nd floor space, pending funding from grants and from a capital campaign.
Amnesty for Ashes
The Board also explored a proposed “Amnesty for Ashes” program, which would offer dignified burial for long-held cremated remains—an initiative that aligns with Island Cemetery’s mission of compassion and stewardship.
As we look forward to 2026, we thank our many supporters who have attended events, visited and donated to our special projects.