The little-known history of a hidden cemetery off the highway

LINCOLN – Hidden behind the busy roads where Route 99 South and Eddie Dowling Highway meet sits Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Lincoln #4.

Though it’s not accessible, or even visible, from the street, the cemetery is a few hundred feet from the side of the highway. Unlike most other 18th century graveyards, this plot is easily identifiable, thanks to the substantial stone and iron fence lining its perimeter.

According to state records, the lot has been deemed “Mann Burial Ground,” but the Rev. Ken Postle, cemetery coordinator for the Blackstone Valley Historical Society, said the Manns are far from the only people buried there.

In the 1600s and 1700s, the Ballou family was a prominent one; historical records show that the Ballous settled in Rhode Island not long after Roger Williams,