Walk Among the Shadows 2019

The Spirits of 1820 – 200 Years of Maine Statehood

We're back again with our evening tours on 2 October weekends. Join us and the spirits of 1820 as they tell of the perils and promises of separation from Massachusetts and attaining Maine statehood.

The stories were written by Lynne Cullen who also directed the spirits (as best she could—you know spirits, sometimes they listen, sometimes they don't.)

Order Walk Among the Shadows tickets now!

THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS
OCTOBER 17 to 19 & OCTOBER 24 to 26
6:30PM to 7:30PM

SUNDAYS: OCTOBER 20 & OCTOBER 27
5:30PM to 6:30PM

ADULTS: $10
CHILDREN 12 & UNDER: $5

Illustration by Doug Campbell. Text design by Diane Brakeley.

Fall Cleanup Day

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
Rain date: Sunday, October 13
9:00AM to 1:00PM

Tours, conservation, and visitors have spent the summer sprucing up the cemetery, and the endless summer this year means more fall growth than usual. Before Walk Among the Shadows, we'll gather for a final cleanup day to tackle trash collection, weed-whacking, spreading hay, and other activities to beautify Eastern Cemetery throughout the fall and prepare for another winter. There will be tasks available for all ability levels. We'll be joined by Yelp! Helps volunteers. We would appreciate your help!

Walking Tours Continue!

Daily until Sunday, October 13 at 11:00am

Join us on a crisp fall walk of Eastern Cemetery to learn about the history of the area, those interred inside, and the stones that decorate their plots. If you’re unable to attend at the scheduled times, or if you’re interested in a private tour focusing on African-Americans in early Portland, 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 Finale

Making Progress in a Historic Cemetery

The conservation team has finished its work in Eastern Cemetery for the season. There were 33 days of official conservation days and 18 volunteers participated. More than 57 stones were conserved whether simple cleaning and straightening or complex repairs that could last up to 2 to 5 days. Many complex conservations were done with the help of conservator Joe Ferrannini during a few days of work with our volunteers in September.

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 2019 Conservation, or search on the conservation tag (857 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