The "Common Ground," so called, is the oldest public cemetery in Newport. It was laid out about 1665. It contains many of the quaint headstones of common slate. Here may be seen the graves of many of the early governors of the colony, that of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the graves of our early merchants and clerical worthies. Many stones are dedicated the memory of old sea captains. Within this cemetery is "God's Little Acre", which is the Colonial African Burial Ground. It is considered a separate cemetery.