Before it ends at Ocean State Job Lot, Vernon Street, in its less than 1/2 mile, takes you past 4 almost contiguous cemeteries, which is pretty impressive, real estate-wise. Nick having declared the bike path off limits, we decided to walk to the farthest, then head back by looping around the perimeter of each, which would give us at least some exercise.
Before we took this walk, I thought that there were only three, but it turns out that the road I thought cut off a narrow strip of St. Jean Baptiste Cemetery is actually a public street, and it divides spacious St. Jean Baptiste from cramped St. Alexander. This is important, because a quick read of the names reveals that St. Alexander's is Polish, and it turns out you absolutely won't find them mixing with the French Canadians of St. Jean Baptiste across the asphalt, thank you very much. Except for a couple, like Rumplik and Pysz, who probably never wanted to speak to their Catholic school tormentors again, even in death.
On to St Mary of the Bay, which is pretty much a mix of the rest of the Easy Bay--Portuguese, Italian, Irish. A little more...catholic Catholic. And a little flat, after the clear warfare of the former two.
Until you get to South Burial Ground. Notice anything? Like no "St." anything? Yea, verily, because this is where the white Protestants rest. "White" as in not Catholic, as in we-were-here-before-you not Catholic. Pearce, Foster, Martin, Crowninshield, Luther, Dunn, Brown, Jenckes, Blount, Brelsford. Etc. A few van der Somethings. Take that, St. Mary of the Bay and all you other foreigners.
My favorite tombstone (St. Jean Baptiste, of course):
