They were buried anonymously a century ago. Now their stories are part of a history lesson.

CRANSTON – They were poor, and some were mentally ill, but they will not be forgotten.

Tucked behind the Rhode Island Training School lie some 1,049 headstones marked not with names but with numbers. They represent the indigent and the mentally ill people buried anonymously at the State Farm Cemetery Annex grounds from 1875 through the early 1900s, and they will now be part of the Training School’s curriculum.

Students at the school will delve into who the people buried there were, their countries of origin, their causes of death and more, as part of an experiential learning project in partnership with T-Time Productions, an educational consulting company whose mission is shining light on and creating awareness for untold or little-known stories .

“ It’s to try to bring some dignity and respect to people who haven’t been recognized,” Theresa Moore, founder and president of T-Time, said Saturday as dozens of volunteers, Training School staff and state Department of Children, Youth and Families officials fanned out across the little-known cemetery to remove brush and right toppled headstones. The goal is to return the site to its once-pristine condition.

The project, titled the Indigent Cemetery Project, or More Than Just a Number, intends to honor those buried there.

“Somebody’s got to care. It has to be us,” said John Hill, chairman of the Cranston Historical Cemeteries Commission, another partner in the project.

“We don’t pay attention to the people who did the work," he said. "They shaped the landscape we live in now. They deserve respect.”

'Sad to learn what the stones represented'

John Scott, senior community development training specialist, started working at the school in 1992. Staff members were always aware that there was a cemetery just off the school's basketball court, but no one knew much about it, other than that wildlife ran through.

“It was sad to learn what the stones represented,” Scott said.

Most of those buried in the plot, which is interspersed with trees and located just off Route 37, had lived at the state asylum or the State Almshouse , which cared for the poor and those needing medical care or supervision. Many were people of color and some were stacked on top of one another.

Students will be asked to contemplate “what does it mean to be stripped to a number,” a situation that sometimes befalls juveniles who enter the criminal justice system, Moore said.

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Some of the students’ work will include mapping out the cemetery, restoring headstones and exploring medical care at the time, such as shock treatments and drug injections, Moore said. They will imagine the people’s lives and try to identify those buried by studying records from the secretary of state's office.

The students, who range in age from 14 to 19, will also view stunning drone footage of the cemetery and the Training School, complete with shots of the goats, ducks and chickens living on the school’s farm. The footage was taken for free by Mike Vacca, owner of Elevate Drone Media.

“This project underscores the importance of learning about our history and will provide our youth at the RITS, andthroughout the State, with an opportunity to gain an understanding about a segment of the Rhode Islandpopulation who are buried in that cemetery,” DCYF Director Ashley Deckert said in a statement. “Additionally, this project has enhanced the educational curriculum at the RITS allowing students to learn outside the classroom.”

Remarkable transformation of the site

The transformation of the site is remarkable already. In November, volunteers braved wind and rain to clear trees, branches and trash and pluck saplings from the property with help from the state Department of Corrections maintenance crew.

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In the sunshine on Saturday, volunteers pushed wheelbarrows brimming with branches and hoisted trash bags with gloved hands.

Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore and former gubernatorial candidate Helena Foulkes were among those joining in the effort.

Foulkes is good friends with Moore.

“I was really inspired by her vision,” Foulkes said, adding, “How striking is it that they are just numbers and not names?”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: They were buried anonymously a century ago. Now their stories are part of a history lesson.