The final resting place of famed author H.P. Lovecraft and Rhode Island School of Design founder Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, Swan Point Cemetery, is a swath of green space surrounded by the state’s creative capital.
Two hundred twenty acres abutting the Seekonk River, between Providence’s Hope and Blackstone neighborhoods, the nonsectarian cemetery operates as a nonprofit and seeks to meet multiple needs of the community, said Anthony Hollingshead, Swan Point Cemetery president.
“Because Swan Point is a garden cemetery, we’re in a unique position to provide an array of options to our community for memorialization,” as well as relaxation, said Hollingshead, who was appointed president in 2007 after two years as a vice president and two decades at a historic cemetery in Boston.
In December, Swan Point Cemetery officially opened a new 2.5-acre burial plot, which Hollingshead described as “a more contemporary space” inclusive of more landscaping, modern monuments, open land and “a lot more options” for the customer.
“We needed the inventory,” said Hollingshead, as previously developed sections of the cemetery were “filling up” but demand remained high.
As the cemetery’s developed property began to fill out with more and more memorials and plots, in 2000 a self-serve interment site-locator kiosk was installed to aid those in search of specific plots. The computer prints off information regarding a specific deceased person from the cemetery’s database, as well as directions to that person’s burial plot within the cemetery.
Located at the entrance to the main office, Hollingshead said the technology is “particularly helpful” if a family is looking to visit the cemetery while the office is closed.
Last year, said Hollingshead, the software was updated to include a QR code scannable by most smartphones, which would pull up directions in the device’s navigation app. These maps, as well as the cemetery’s database, are also available on the cemetery’s website.
Designated on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, the cemetery also meets the needs of the community in its gardens, sculpture and nature preserve as a place of “passive recreation” and contemplation, said Hollingshead.
From 8-9 a.m. daily joggers are permitted to peruse the grounds, while walkers, birders and painters can visit whenever the cemetery is open.
The hours for joggers are marked, said Hollingshead, because “we maintain and respect the fact that this is an active cemetery.”
This past year, Swan Point experimented with “a new concept in the cemetery industry” – extended hours, said Hollingshead. From June through September the site stayed open until 8 p.m., rather than the traditional 3 p.m. service conclusion time, to allow families further time for memorialization of their loved ones and to accommodate working individuals.
“We’re trying to serve our community in a flexible, comprehensive manner,” he said.
PRESIDENT: Anthony Hollingshead
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Cemetery
LOCATION: 585 Blackstone Blvd., Providence
EMPLOYEES: Varies (up to 30)
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1847
ANNUAL SALES: WND
