Summer Tours Are in Full-Swing!

Daily from July to October at 11:00am
Even on Independence Day, Thursday, July 4!

This year, our tour offerings have expanded to include an 11am tour every single day from July 1 to October 13. Join us on a walk of Eastern Cemetery to learn about the history of the area, those interred inside, and the stones that decorate their plots. We start off the season with June weekend tours. If you’re unable to attend at the scheduled times, or if you’re interested in a private tour focusing on African-Americans, our first stone-cutter Bartlett Adams, group tours, or any other special interests, let us know! We often are able to arrange tours off-schedule and at no extra charge depending on the availability of our guides.

Sign up for a space by using our online reservation system on Eventbrite.

Conservation of Stones

Wednesday and Saturday mornings
8:30am to 12:30pm

The conservation team has begun its work in Eastern Cemetery. Email us at easterncemetery@gmail.com if you want to be added to the list of those notified of the schedule and access to the calendar. We train newbies, and we love what we do! Find out more about conservation in Eastern Cemetery.

Read about what we do on our Stone Conservation & Preservation web page. Browse many photos of our years of conservation in our Conservation Flickr albums such as Conservation of Eastern Cemetery or 2018 Conservation, or search on the conservation tag (847 images).

Eastern Cemetery Book!

Ron Romano has published a follow-up to his first book, Early Gravestones in Southern Maine — The Genius of Bartlett Adams and it focuses on the Eastern Cemetery itself: Portland's Historic Eastern Cemetery—A Field of Ancient Graves. This book:

• Describes the history of the cemetery's evolution
• Includes information on special cemetery sections: African American, Quaker, Catholic, and "Strangers"
• Discusses the history of Portland, Maine, in relation to this historic landscape
• Provides vignettes of the men and women memorialized in this special place

A must-read for any cemetery aficionado, the book is filled with photographs and sketches to illustrate the text. Our website has more about how to purchase this publication.

Ask Amazon to Donate to Spirits Alive

This is an easy way to give! If you're an Amazon shopper, here's an easy way to support our favorite and the oldest historic Portland, Maine, cemetery:

• Go to smile.amazon.com
• Enter "Spirits Alive" in the box
• Choose the non-profit in Portland, Maine from the list

Voila! A portion of all of your purchases through smile.amazon.com will go to our efforts to support, conserve and promote this historic outdoor museum. Thank you!

Help the Eastern Cemetery

Support the work of Spirits Alive with your giving

You can help Spirits Alive keep the Eastern Cemetery alive for generations to come. Through your support, you can help us, an ALL-VOLUNTEER organization, to continue to:

• Keep the gates open – encouraging the community to explore its open and safe green space
• Offer education about the cemetery and its residents to the public – through tours, lectures, and events
• Encourage and support the city in keeping the site clean and safe for visitors of all ages
• Preserve this incredible outdoor museum and sacred historic landscape