A large white quartz boulder sits in Prince's Hill Cemetery bearing a plaque that reads: "In memory of the slaves and their descendants who faithfully served Barrington families."

The boulder, historians say, represents the white slave owners of colonial Barrington. Unseen are four black stones that rest under the corners of the quartz boulder, which were intended to represent those slaves who supported the Barrington families.

There are some people now calling for the monument to be removed. Sarah St. Jacques sent an email to the town manager about two months ago asking if it was possible to remove the plaque.

"I'm not sure where exactly this memorial is in Barrington, but this picture is circulating on Twitter with calls to forcibly remove this with a truck and chain," she wrote. "It is worded very offensively. Is it possible to remove this, or change the wording on the plaque?"

Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha forwarded the email to council president Michael Carroll, who quickly replied to Ms. St. Jacques.

"I plan to raise the issue at our July Town Council meeting," Mr. Carroll wrote. "Maybe the answer is to replace the plaque with one saying something like "In Memory of the Enslaved People of Barrington," while preserving the original in our Town Museum, in context, so that we're not erasing this sad part of our history."

Mr. Carroll said he would not want to do anything without getting community input.

"My concern with this who would just destroy the monument and the plaque, is that it might ignore an important part of our history — and one that is difficult to face," he wrote. "If we simply destroyed such monuments and hid such plaques, it might be easy for some to believe that Barrington was always filled with abolitionists and anti-racists. I believe that we need to acknowledge that slavery and bigotry are a disturbing part of our heritage, in addition to acknowledging the more positive aspects of our history."

During the July 27 meeting, town officials said they wanted to take some time to fully explore their options before deciding what to do.

Town council member Steve Boyajian serves as liaison to the Barrington Cemetery Commission, and said that dragging away that large white boulder and accompanying four black stones could be an act of desecration to slaves' graves. Ground penetrating radar showed three anomalies near the monument that may be grave shafts.

Town officials say the monument was erected with the best of intentions in 1903. Thomas W. Bicknell aimed to recognize and commemorate Barrington's slaves, they said, but his words are now likely received as offensive by many people.

Mr. Boyajian said the plaque does serve a purpose, however, reminding people that even those with the best of intentions might not get it right. Mr. Boyajian said the current council will also likely be questioned in the future for the decisions it made, including one to select the late Mr. Bicknell to the town's inaugural class of the Heritage Hall of Fame over the founder of the RI AIDS Project.

"We will be judged, too," he said.

Mr. Boyajian and other officials said it was important to fully weigh their options before taking any action with the monument. Ultimately, the Barrington Cemetery Commission will make the decision about what should be done, as the commission has control over cemetery property in town.

Jim Bessel, a member of the Barrington Cemetery Commission, spoke during the council meeting. He said commission members had discussed the issue and believe they have three options: The commission could do nothing and allow the monument to remain; the commission could remove the monument; or the commission could add a placard explaining why the monument was placed there and what it means in the context of current events.

Mr. Bessel said the commission does not want to rush into a decision.

Barrington Town Council President Michael said he wanted to be sure that local officials did not erase history. He said he would like to put the monument in context.

Mr. Bessel said the commission members were in favor of reaching out to the descendants of Barrington slaves to see what they would like to do.

Council member Jacob Brier supported that idea, adding that the descendants are likely nine generations removed.

Mr. Carroll eventually made a motion to task the Barrington Preservation Society with researching and identifying the descendants of Barrington slaves. Council member Kate Weymouth seconded the motion, which passed by a 5-0 vote.

First of its kind

According to research conducted by Nat Taylor, a former president of the Barrington Preservation Society, the monument at Prince's Hill Cemetery was the first of its kind in the United States.

It was installed at the cemetery in 1903, and special addresses were made by Thomas W. Bicknell, Hezekiah Butterworth and Judge Orrin L. Bosworth, who was the president of the Bristol County Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Mr. Butterworth was a Warren native and noted poet who was a popular speaker at commemorative events.

Mr. Bicknell was a Barrington native, career educational reformer and writer and dedicated much of his time to history. He wrote "1898 History of Barrington."

According to Mr. Taylor's research, Mr. Bicknell exhibited a "sincere moral imperative" when it came to recognizing and honoring slaves and Native Americans. Toward the end of his life, Mr. Bicknell was a driving force in erecting monuments to Native Americans across Rhode Island. Among those monuments was one to Massasoit Spring, which is located on the bend at Rumstick Road.

Barrington slaves

Barrington Preservation Society research shows that the 1774 RI Colony census offered a glance at Barrington's population:

• 601 total people

• 18 "indian" (census term)

• 41 "black" (census term)

"There were two independent Indian households, accounting for 8 individuals as members of white households," stated a memo by Mr. Taylor. "Of the 41 black people, all are listed within white households, including some family groups (children under 16). The black people were presumably all enslaved."

Mr. Taylor added "Rhode Island passed a gradual emancipation act that took effect on March 1, 1784…"