Stephen Hopkins was Rhode Island’s speaker of the house, chief justice, governor, and our signer of the Declaration of Independence . . . slacker. While many locals have visited the Hopkins House museum on Benefit Street, his final resting place had always been a little harder to find. No more.
Check out the comprehensive North Burial Project website in which certain of the cemetery’s residents have been organized into different Revolutionary War Tours including: the Gaspee Affair; the Battle of Rhode Island; War at Sea; First Baptist tour. This cemetery is a Who’s Who of Rhode Island revolutionaries and now the gravesites have been organized and plotted on a map with supplementary historical background on the people and events. Hopkins is Number 29.
Other tours include: Women’s Tour; Civil War; 1824 Tour; and H.P. Lovecraft.
Initial funding for the website project came from Rhode Island College in 2012 followed by a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH). Big kudos to the many people involved. The website is well organized and easy to use and represents a lot of work.
Get involved: Friends of the North Burial Ground is a non-profit community organization recently formed to help preserve and maintain Providence’s historic public cemetery. “This is a community driven project that is ongoing and collaborative. If you would like to contribute information, time, or other resources, please contact us.”
Seen here is the back of the Stephen Hopkins obelisk situated beneath the canopy of a purple-leaf beech. Next to the obelisk is a largish lump of white quartz which memorializes Stephen’s first wife Sarah who bore him seven children.
