The pine tree shades the markers around the 1812 commemorative boulder

Daily Tours Are Still Happening!

Daily at 4pm

It’s best if you buy tickets through our Eventbrite site ahead of time* as we prefer our guides don’t have to handle cash. Not that we won’t take your cash—but we likely cannot make change. We are excited to escort you around this garden of art and history.

Special Themed Tour: Enslavement in Maine

Led by Vana Carmona of the Prince Project
Saturday, September 9
2:00pm

Buy tickets on Eventbrite*

From the time Portland was settled by European colonists, Black people, enslaved and free, were part of this community. Many of their names have been lost to history—sometimes listed as property in wills or on bills of sale, often buried in unmarked graves—all the while playing a critical role in enabling the success of White people. Vana will take you to the graves of prominent enslavers, some her own ancestors, and reveal the names of enslaved people who helped make their success possible. She will also lead you into the two African American sections of the burial ground. Vana is the founder of the Prince Project, a database of almost 2,000 people of color enslaved in Maine prior to 1800.

*You do not have to buy tickets ahead of time.

Stone Conservation Updates

Saturdays through October
8:30am to 12pm

Each year, we head out into the historic landscape and look for the stones that need our help. Whether it’s cleaning or resetting, our volunteer crew spends their free time out in the Maine sun all season long—digging, cleaning, and caring for this important and sacred landscape. Would you like to join us?

Even if you have never done this type of work, our award-winning team is happy to help you learn how to do it. We always have a good time, and it’s sometimes like an archaeological dig. You never know what we’ll find (okay, we never find some things… if you know what we mean).

Let us know if you’re interested in helping out, or just show up. You can find us by looking for our wheel barrows and wagons, and we’ll be so happy to see you. Be prepared to become hooked on learning this super-interesting skill (it provides a fine conversation starter at parties, too).

Email us today to be on the list and get notified of special off-schedule days.

Slate head stone of William C. Jameson. photo by J. Alexander

Subterranean Celebrity: William C. Jameson  

Death: September 23, 1810

William C. Jameson was born in 1808 to Capt. James and Jane (Randall) Jameson. They lived in the mid-coast area, so they may have been visiting Portland in 1810 when 2-year-old William died. The captain died in Cuba in 1819,  therefore, he has no known memorial. Jane lived 8 years longer; she died 1827 at age 43 and was buried at the First Parish Church in Topsham. Her stone names her as the “widow of Capt. James Jameson.”

The small slate marker just recovered at Eastern Cemetery was created by Alvan Washburn, nephew of Bartlett Adams, and features a nice rosette on a stem. It’s a great addition to our cemetery. Welcome back, William!

William C. Jameson
son of Capt. James &
Mrs. Jane Jameson,
born Jan. 16, 1808,
& died Sept. 23,
1810.

Big thanks to Ron Romano for writing up this mini-bio. You can suggest a subterranean celebrity! Just send an email—it doesn't take much to make a nice little story. If they’re buried in Eastern Cemetery, we can make it happen. An index of all of our Subterranean Celebrities is available.

SA Swag

Guess what cemetery fan group has its own shirts, caps, playing cards, and tote bags? Spirits Alive does, that’s who! Visit us on Zazzle to view all of our products. Please know that proceeds go directly back to Spirits Alive to help us fund our work to keep the Eastern Cemetery cared for and to teach others about its wonders.

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.