'God's little acre'

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NEWPORT, R.I. - Dotting the landscape of the Common Burying Ground are the graves of those who helped build Colonial Newport: African slaves and their descendants.The 282 gravestones, most dating to the 18th century, form a collection some historians call unparalleled and provide a window into the work, faith and families of the period.

For Keith Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, the headstones and footstones are also a reminder that black Americans have deep roots in the United States and in the history of Newport, a summer resort and sailing community best known for its Gilded Age mansions.

"We have African-American children in this community that don't feel that they belong here, and I've got to stop them and say, 'Hey, hold on, your people have been here for centuries'" said Mr. Stokes.

Historians say the Newport burying ground, which came to be known as "God's Little Acre," stands out for its size and for how well it has been preserved.

It's among the oldest known African burial grounds in the country, and also contains what may be the first African artwork in the New World: headstones carved by Zingo Stevens, a slave, later freed, who worked in the stone shop of John Stevens Jr.

Zingo Stevens carved headstones including those of his first, second and third wives. The cherubs on several of the stones have curly hair, and distinctly African features, a pattern repeated throughout the cemetery.

A number of the stones also bear African names, including some that link the dead to particular West African tribes.

Mr. Stokes points to the recurrence of the name Cuffe, an Anglicization of Kofi, a traditional name for Ghanaian boys born on Fridays. The name Cudjo or Kojo also appears, a name given to Thursday-born boys.

Mr. Stokes and Jim Garman, a professor of historic preservation at Salve Regina University in Newport, said the slaves' retention of their African names is extremely unusual and points to unique aspects of slavery as it played out in Newport and its surroundings.

"Here, there is more of an open celebration, or at least toleration, of African culture and history," Mr. Stokes said.