There’s an ugly and unnecessary scene inside the Pocasset Cemetery.

Located in the woods off 417 Dyer Ave. in the Silver Lake section of Cranston, the historical cemetery has seen vandals knock over a total of 35 gravestones in recent years.

Saturday, the Johnston Historical Society’s Cemetery Committee re-erected eight of those fallen stones during an ambitious day of heartwarming volunteerism that began at 9 a.m. and ran well into the afternoon.

“The desecration of cemetery property is a disgrace and also a felony,” said Anthony Ursillo, one of eight society members who worked tirelessly to raise the gravestones. “And when we were all asked to do some community service, we stood up to the plate and offered our time.”

Several other non-society members were also part of Saturday’s extraordinary volunteerism, and when the day was done a total of at least 15 stones were re-erected.

“The rewards are very satisfying,” Ursillo said. “Once you can stand back and view the now-standing gravestones, it gives everyone a sense of pride and satisfaction.”

No one, though, was happier than Belmira “Bel” McGowan, a member of the society’s Board of Directors who doubles as administrator at the Pocasset Cemetery.

“Thank goodness for the Johnston Historical Society and the handful of volunteers who are here today,” McGowan said after she served the early-morning workforce a variety of pizza, cookies, coffee and even her famous deviled eggs. “I wish that other groups would come forward and help, and that we can catch the people responsible for this terrible act of disrespect and destruction.”

Like most unique acts of volunteerism, Saturday’s was special for a number of reasons.

First and foremost was that Pocasset Cemetery is officially known as Rhode Island Historical Cemetery No. 2 Cranston.

Of equal importance, McGowan emphasized, is that the cemetery does not receive any financial assistance.

“We don’t get grants ... most of the money we did have went to restore the bridge at the entrance to the cemetery,” she said.

Saturday’s volunteer workforce was bolstered by long-time Pocasset Cemetery volunteer and Cranston native George Daigneault and John Wilk of Wakefield, who both brought their necessary custom tripod lifts to move the gravestones back onto their platforms.

One of the tripods society members like Steve Merolla, Pat Macari and Tim Kee used Saturday was made by Everett Cogswell. Other society members who also participated in the special workday were president Lou McGowan, Elise Carlson, Ursillo and Cogswell.

“One of the fallen stones we were able to re-erect belonged to a person whose remains were moved from Johnston to Pocasset,” said Merolla, who also helps head the society’s cemetery committee. “In fact, many Johnstonians are buried in Pocasset, and many were moved from small graveyards in Johnston to here, mostly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

Merolla, who heaped words of praise upon Daigneault, Wilk and Cogswell for bringing their custom made tripods and frames Saturday and making the re-erection the gravestones possible, offered: “We try to make it to Pocasset once or twice a year to help out. Today was both important and special.”

But performing wonderful work inside cemeteries is nothing new for people like Merolla and Macari of the society’s Cemetery Committee. The unique group, you see, has many such wonderful works in recent years by cleaning up many of the 100 historical cemeteries in the town of Johnston.

“We welcome new volunteers,” Ursillo said. “It doesn’t matter what town or city you’re from. We can always use help cleaning up cemeteries. If anyone is interested, they should contact the society directly at 401-231-3380 or email me at aursillo401@gmail.com.”

Any individual or group – whether that is a professional or non-profit – that would like to help re-erect the fallen gravestones inside Pocasset Cemetery should call McGowan at 401-944-2112.