Fence Repair
The fence was donated to the cemetery in 19081 as Portland High School had undergone renovations and no longer needed it. The photo, on the Maine Memory Network, shows Portland High School on Cumberland Street in about 1900. Zoom the image to see it close up.
Photographs Showing Problems Before Restoration
Problems
- Missing pickets
- Rust damage
- Chipping paint
- Gate locking mechanism in ill-repair
Project Goals
The StandFast Works Forge in Parsonsfield, Maine, was selected to make the repairs. They offered to train volunteers to prepare and repaint.
- Cast new and install pickets in place of missing or broken pickets - done
- Repair picket knuckles that are rusted - done
- Repair gate locking mechanism - done
- Repaint entire Congress Street section of fence - on hold
Phase 1 of Project Complete!
An anonymous donor has given the funds to get the project started and Spirits Alive made up the difference in cost to get the project done. The Portland Department of Public Works coordinated the project and oversaw the results.
The fence still needs to be repainted, and the city is assessing the situation before we can move forward.
1Burial records, 1717-1962, of the Eastern Cemetery, Portland, Maine compiled by William B. Jordan, Jr. 1987, Heritage Books, Bowie, Md.