Snowy Eastern Cemetery, February 2021

Lecture: The Maine Charitable Mechanics Association, 1815–1890

Paul Stevens will present the second lecture in our 2022 winter lecture series. In 1815, Portland artisans and tradesmen established the Maine Charitable Mechanics Association (MCMA). The founders were housewrights, painters, tailors, blacksmiths, masons, and other tradesmen. This early association foreshadowed the formation of the labor union movement in Maine. In 1859, the cornerstone for Mechanics Hall was laid by architect Thomas Sparrow, but design and construction was accomplished entirely by MCMA members. Today, Mechanics Hall presents community events that connect to that rich history, promoting ingenuity, creativity, and the diffusion of useful knowledge.

• Saturday, February 26

• 1:30pm

• Register through Zoom

The last lecture in the series is on March 26 when Michael Connelly will speak on the Irish immigrant experience in mid-19th century Portland.

Learn more about our Winter Lecture Series on our website.

Black History in Eastern Cemetery

The Eastern Cemetery is home to at least 300 Black Portland citizens. Dying between 1750 and 1881, many of their graves are unmarked by a stone marker, but burial information for most of them exists. Our page on Black history includes a table of those who are interred who have known burial plots with their photos and burial information from our book of burial records. Resources for more information are also included.

Online in the Winter!

Even though the gates are closed, information about Eastern Cemetery is free and available online. Some ideas to learn about and enjoy our favorite historic Portland, Maine landscape:

The Spirits Alive website includes years of archives and information.

• Use our sitemap to learn more about a specific topic

• Some of the more-visited pages include:

  • Captains of the Boxer and the Enterprise

  • Cemetery Papers - a series of cemetery topics from author, Ron Romano

  • Military Markers in Eastern Cemetery

  • Underground Tombs of Section A

Our Flickr image database holds more than 14,000 images related to Eastern Cemetery as well as tours through other cemeteries.

• Peruse Spirits Alive Albums for a tailored journey, such as:

  • Finds of Eastern Cemetery

  • Urn and Willows of Eastern Cemetery

  • Prairie Lea Cemetery, Brenham, Texas

• Use hundreds of tags to pinpoint specific types of images such as:

  • Fence

  • Flag

  • Veteran

Take a tour any time from any place: Virtual Eastern Cemetery in 12 Stops

Watch the video from this year’s Walk Among the Shadows: “The Secret History of the Eastern Cemetery: Movers & Shakers in the Old Burial Ground”

Support Eastern Cemetery

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

Spirits Alive is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of Portland, Maine’s historic Eastern Cemetery through a range of activities including promotion and education.