Veteran Leonard Griffin’s grave stone in Eastern Cemetery

Memorial Day in Eastern Cemetery

Friday, May 24
11am to 12pm
Eastern Cemetery

Join us to place flags on veterans graves. We have sheets for each gravesite. We’ll give you a flag, ask you to find the site, and plant the flag. So easy and fun! We appreciate you so much! Wear long pants and maybe boots—the grass growing high! The cemetery looks great when all the fresh flags are planted—a nice way to remember those buried in Eastern Cemetery who served in conflicts such as the Mexican War, Civil War, War of 1812, and Revolutionary War.

Monday, May 27
10am to 2pm
Eastern Cemetery

Visit us as we honor those who served from the 1600s through the Civil War. Join a guided tour to hear the compelling stories of some of our notable soldiers and sailors. Free to active duty military, veterans, and their families. Donations suggested for others.

Walking Tours Begin in May

Saturday, May 25
4pm daily until October
$10 adults, $5 seniors (62 and older), $0 children (0-12 years)

We are once again offering daily tours of Eastern Cemetery this season. This is one of Yankee Magazine's top five cemetery tours in New England! Visit the cemetery's unique field of underground tombs, the oldest grave marker from 1717, the final resting place of the famed captains of the 1813 battle between the Boxer and the Enterprise, and the interesting carvings of Portland's first stone-cutter, Bartlett Adams. Tours include early gravestone art, important local historic figures, Portland's historic events, and the landscape of this National Historic Landmark, including segregated sections for Black people, Catholics, Quakers, and strangers. We look forward to escorting you through this incredible outdoor museum.

Reserve your spot in advance if you like: Buy tickets on Eventbrite or bring  cash to the gate.

Marble grave marker for Dr. Nathaniel and Capt. Thomas Montgomery. Photo by B. Hager

Subterranean Celebrity: Capt. Thomas J. Montgomery

Died: November 22, 1854

Studying Ron Romano’s paper, Empty Graves, A Roster of Cenotaphs at Eastern Cemetery, you may wander out to the cemetery looking for cenotaphs mentioned there and notice there is a marble marker located in the northeast corner of the cemetery near the Mountfort fence for Dr. Nathaniel Montgomery. Then again, you might not, as it is very weathered and eroded. There's an indentation where Dr. Montgomery's name had been carefully carved, and if you gaze down a bit, you'll see another similar indentation. This is for his son, Captain Thomas Montgomery who expired 3 years prior.

DOCT.
NATHL. MONTGOMERGY
born in Newburyport
Nov. 14, 1857
AET. _
THOS. J. MONTGOMERY USA
son of Nath'l &
Eliza Montgomery
died at Fort Steliacoom
Washington Territory
Nove. 22, 1854
AE. 30

Further online research leads us to his obituary where we learn more about his early demise. He was a graduate of the West Point in 1845. He was a member of two infantry regiments during the Mexican War and promoted to 1st Lieutenant. After the war, he served on the west coast, and ended up at Fort Steilacoom where he was promoted to captain.

After what was described as a “very short illness,” he died there. It was noted that he was “conspicuous for gallantry… and a gentleman of high intelligence and most amiable character,… equally esteemed by all who knew him.”

His funeral there was attended with military and Masonic honors. He had aged 31 years, 9 months and 17 days. It is for that reason the marker in Eastern Cemetery is considered his cenotaph.

Suggest your own subterranean celebrity! Just send an email—it doesn't take much (basic vitals, plot location, and photo) to make a nice little story. 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.