Upcoming New England graveyard lectures!

Spirits Alive has just announced three upcoming Saturday afternoon lectures. The talks will explore aspects of Colonial New England burial grounds: customs and symbolism in stones, stone cutter Bartlett Adams, and the status of Portland's small burial grounds.

Stone for Andrew Mackie's Family Tomb, Eastern Cemetery, Portland

WHEN: Saturdays (monthly as listed below), 1:30 - 3:00pm
WHERE: University of Southern Maine, Abromson Center, Wishcamper Building - Room 102, 34 Bedford Street, Portland Maine
COST: Suggested donation: $5.00 per person

Series dates:

January 25: “The Art, History, and Symbolism of Early New England Gravestones”
Presented by the Gravestone Girls - Melissa Anderson, Maggie White, and Brenda Sullivan

February 22: “Bartlett Adams: Portland’s First Stone Cutter”
Exploring the life, times, and works of the shop of Bartlett Adams, who maintained his shop in Portland, Maine from 1800 to 1828. Lecturer: Ron Romano, member of Spirits Alive Board and Summer Tour Docent

March 29: “The Status and Future of Portland's Forgotten Cemeteries”
A panel of cemetery representatives will discuss several historic small burial grounds in the area and what is takes to restore them to our cultural landscape.

Summer 2011 Eastern Cemetery events

Interested in cemeteries? Intrigued by their history? If you're in Portland, Maine, or passing through sometime this summer, be sure to schedule around these opportunities to participate in the living history of the Eastern Cemetery, as hosted by Spirits Alive! This historic burial ground is located on Congress Street, just before it mounts Munjoy Hill in downtown Portland.

Summer Tours
WHEN:Sundays
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
WHERE:Meet at the Dead House near the front gate at 1:15 PM
COST:$7 per person, seniors and students $4, children under 12 free

It's summer, and that means guided tours through the cemetery! Learn about the types of stones, some of the stories of those who are interred, and some fun facts about burial grounds and funerary customs. The terrain is uneven, the sun can be warm, and the wind can be cool, so wear layers and appropriate footwear. There's so much to see and learn, so join us every Sunday! You can pre-register by emailing sa@spiritsalive.org but it's not required. Check our Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/#!/easterncemetery for cancellations due to weather.

Unearthing the History of the EC
WHEN:Most Every Saturday
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
WHERE:In the back, down the hill

A group of us continues with the survey of every single stone in the cemetery this summer! Each Saturday we move from stone to stone, filling out a form for each that records the inscription on the stone, the location of it, and the condition of the stone itself. Weather determines whether we will be there or not, so check the Website for the most up-to-date schedule . You can also check our Twitter feed each Saturday morning – we often post updates on what we've encountered.

EVENT: Death & Civil War lecture

WHAT: Death and Survival in the Civil War, lecture
WHEN: Saturday, March 26, 2011, 10:00 - 11:00am
WHERE: Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland, ME
COST: Free, Donations Appreciated
FMI: http://www.spiritsalive.org/events/lectures.htm

The last lecture in the series, "Death and Survival in the Civil War," will take place on March 26. “Dead Men’s Pockets: Gettysburg Bodies and Other Stories” will be presented by Margaret Creighton, Professor at Bates College. Creighton wrote Colors of Courage: Gettysburg's Forgotten History which considers the legendary battle of Gettysburg from the perspectives of white women civilians, African American civilians, and immigrant soldiers. This book was a runner-up for the Lincoln Prize and named as one of the five best books on Gettysburg by the Wall Street Journal.

The theme of this year's Spirits Alive 3-lecture series was chosen in support of the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War (2011–2015). The lectures offer insight into this country's greatest national crisis in relation to death and dying. It is estimated that up to 700,000 people, or 2% of the population died in the War Between the States.

About Spirits Alive
Spirits Alive is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of Portland's historic Eastern Cemetery through a range of activities including promotion and education. Founded in 2007, the group carries out an active program of seasonal tours of the cemetery, a winter lecture series, and is conducting a stone-by-stone inventory of the nearly 4,000 grave markers still existing in the 340-year-old cemetery. http://www.spiritsalive.org

Upcoming historic talks

Local cemetery-revivalist group Spirits Alive is once again sponsoring a short series of free winter lecture series with local author-historians. These events will be held at the Maine Historical Society (see http://www.mainehistory.org for more info about the MHS), and are made possible with funding support from the Maine Humanities Council. Of the series, one was held in January (my apologies for neglecting to post it in time), and the other two are upcoming, one in February and one in March. Read on for more info!

WHAT: "Privateering on Casco Bay"
WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 10:00am
WHERE: Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland, ME
COST: Free and open to the public.

DESCRIPTION:
James L. Nelson, author of George Washington's Secret Navy, brings America's historical connection with the sea to life through fiction and nonfiction. His writing covers a wide range of America's maritime heritage, from piracy in Colonial Virginia to the naval action of the Civil War. Mr. Nelson will talk about privateers -- armed private ships licensed to attack enemy shipping -- in New England.

For more information on the book: http://www.jameslnelson.com/george_washington%27s_secret_navy.htm

For more information on James L. Nelson: http://www.jameslnelson.com/biography.htm

WHAT: "The Historical Development of Munjoy Hill"
WHEN: Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 10:00am
WHERE:Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland, ME
COST: Free and open to the public.

Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., Director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, will present a slide lecture on the history of Munjoy Hill. Born in Portland, Mr. Shettleworth has been researching, speaking, and writing about Maine history since he was a teenager. He has been on the commission since 1971 and director since 1976.

For more information on the Maine Historic Preservation Commission:
http://www.state.me.us/mhpc/

About the Maine Humanities Council:
The Maine Humanities Council is a private nonprofit organization, Maine's affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It promotes strong communities and informed citizens by providing Mainers with opportunities to explore the power and pleasure of ideas. For more information, visit their Web site at www.mainehumanities.org.

About Spirits Alive
Spirits Alive is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of Portland's historic Eastern Cemetery through a range of activities including promotion and education. Founded in 2007, the group carries out an active program of seasonal tours of the cemetery, a winter lecture series, and is conducting a stone-by-stone inventory of the nearly 4,000 grave markers still existing in the 340-year-old cemetery. http://www.spiritsalive.org

EVENT: Eastern Cemetery workday

WHAT: Eastern Cemetery Workday
WHEN: Saturday, May 2, 2009 from 9am - 12pm
WHERE: Eastern Cemetery, corner of Congress St and Mountfort St (get directions here)
FMI: go to the Spirits Alive website or email sa[AT]spiritsalive.org

Join Spirits Alive at the Eastern Cemetery on Munjoy Hill in Portland for the first workday of the season! Spend Saturday morning trimming, pruning, cleaning and tidying this beautiful green space overlooking Portland harbor.

Landscape architect Barry Hosmer will join us as we prune winter damage on the trees and shrubs, remove invasive vines, weed around the stones, mulch, and plant. Bring work gloves, a hat, appropriate footwear, and any tools you may have such as rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows and hand saws. We train volunteers on how to perform gardening tasks while carefully working around the historic stones.

There's always time for laughs, a little history, and sometimes we even break a sweat! If you can't join us this time, the next workday is June 13.

Spirits Alive October tour schedule

OCTOBER 2008 EVENTS at the Eastern Cemetery in Portland:

Friday 3rd, 5:30pm -- Portland Trails " Discovery Trek"
Saturday 4th, 10:00am -- Art & the Elements
Sunday 5th, 1:00pm -- Earliest Portland: The Eastern Cemetery's Unmarked Past
UPDATE: Unfortunately, the Walk Among the Shadows tours have been cancelled for this season due to a lack of actors.

Join Spirits Alive for some outdoor meanderings on the grounds of this historic graveyard! Meet at the Congress Street gate of the Eastern Cemetery. Admission is $7, and $4 for students, seniors (62 and up) and children under 12 are free. Please have correct change or check. Tours last about 1 hour and will be canceled if it rains. All funds raised go to the Eastern Cemetery. Check the tour schedule.

History of the Eastern Cemetery - stroll through 350 years of the Eastern Cemetery’s intertwined past with the Portland peninsula in this local history-laden tour.

Earliest Portland – The Unmarked Past - in 1632, settlers began arriving at the place we now call Portland. No buildings remain standing from that time. The open land of Eastern Cemetery is an appropriate site to learn about some of the events of the 17th and early 18th centuries that occurred within sight of the cemetery while they shaped Portland’s indomitable spirit.

Art & the Elements - a fascinating introduction to the geology of the Eastern Cemetery, including markers and monuments; a brief introduction to early mortuary art (as seen on the stones), and the effects of the environment on the site.

Walk Among the Shadows - October tours featuring eerie, adventurous and hilarious stories from Portland’s past. They will feature actors appearing as famous (and infamous!) Portland characters under the luminescence of an early evening moon. Adults $10, children 12 years and younger are free.

Spirits Alive is a non-profit organization that supports public access to, events and education, and a master conservation plan for Portland’s Historic Eastern Cemetery.

EVENT: Portland's Eastern Cemetery Tours

Sorry you missed Zombie Kickball? Or perhaps in the mood for a more sedate gambol with the dead? Then try one of the many regular tours offered up by Spirits Alive! You can also scroll down further if you are more practical-minded, and peruse the list of workdays when volunteers and those who enjoy the earthy delights of gardening add their touch to the Eastern Cemetery by hand.

Sun, July 13th at 1:00pm — Earliest Portland: The Eastern’s Unmarked Past
In 1632, settlers began arriving at the place we now call Portland. No buildings remain from that time. The open land of Eastern Cemetery is an appropriate site to learn about some of the events of the 17th and early 18th centuries that occurred within sight of the cemetery and shaped Portland’s indomitable spirit.

Saturday, July 19th at 10:00am — Art and the Elements
A fascinating introduction to the geology of the Eastern Cemetery, including markers and monuments; a brief introduction to early mortuary art (as seen on the stones), and the effects of the environment on the site.

Sunday, July 20th at 1:00pm -- Earliest Portland: The Eastern’s Unmarked Past
(see above for description)

Sunday, July 27th, 5pm -- Stroll through the Silent City - The 350 Year History of the Eastern
Stroll through three and a half centuries of the Eastern Cemetery’s intertwined past with the Portland peninsula in this local history-laden tour.

All tours begin at the Congress Street gates of the Eastern Cemetery, and will be cancelled if weather is very rainy. The Eastern Cemetery is located on Congress, Mountfort and Federal Streets at the foot of Munjoy Hill.

Tours take approximately one hour. The ground is uneven at this National Trust for Historic Places site, so please wear appropriate footwear.

Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for seniors (62+, children under 12 and students). Cash or check.

WORKDAYS
Join us at the cemetery when we spend the occasional Saturday morning trimming, pruning, cleaning and tidying the landscape. The City of Portland generously supplies us with tools, mulch, water and wheelbarrows, and we train volunteers on how to perform gardening tasks while carefully working around the historic stones. We have a good time and sometimes even break a sweat!

NEXT WORKDAY: Saturday, July 12th, from 9:00am to 1:00pm
Spice up your summer with a little planting/watering/mulching in the cemetery! All are welcomed, green thumb or not. Wear sensible shoes, bring work gloves, a bottle of water and sunscreen or a hat. Bring tools if you have them – a rake, shovel, pruning shears, and wheelbarrow are very useful. We also take loan of City tools so those will be available. Not up to planting trees? We have light pruning and trimming to do as well, and though volunteers have already done a trash pick-up, there's more to do.

Mark your calendar with these remaining workdays: August 9, and September 13.

Spirits Alive is a non-profit organization that supports public access to, events and education, and a master conservation plan for Portland’s Historic Eastern Cemetery.

FMI: www.spiritsalive.org (...and while you're at their site, click on their LINKS page for a remarkable collection of cemetery-friendly websites!)

Stroll with the Ghosts of the Past

Spirits Alive of Portland, Maine, now in its second year, announced their June schedule of public Walking Tours today.

Sunday, June 1st at 2:00pm - Portland and its “silent city” - Stroll through 350 years of the Eastern Cemetery’s intertwined past with the Portland peninsula

Saturday, June 7th at 10:00am and 1:00pm - Art and the Elements - A fascinating introduction to the geology of the Eastern Cemetery, including its markers and monuments; a brief introduction to early mortuary art (as seen on the stones), and the effects of the environment on the site.

Sun, June 8th at 1:00pm - Earliest Portland: The Eastern’s Unmarked Past - In 1632, settlers began arriving at the place we now call Portland. No buildings remain from that time. The open land of Eastern Cemetery is an appropriate site to learn about some of the events of the 17th and early 18th centuries that occurred within sight of the cemetery and shaped Portland’s indomitable spirit.

Sun, June 22nd at 4:00pm - Through the “eyes” of the Eastern
Sun, June 29th at 1:00pm - Earliest Portland: The Eastern’s Unmarked Past

All tours begin at the Congress Street gates of the Eastern Cemetery. The Eastern Cemetery is located on Congress, Mountfort and Federal Streets at the foot of Munjoy Hill.

Tours take approximately one-hour. The ground is uneven at this National Trust for Historic Places site so please wear appropriate footwear.

Tickets are $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for seniors (62+, children under 10 and students), and is payable by cash or check.

Spirits Alive is a non-profit organization that supports public access to, events and education, and a master conservation plan for Portland’s Historic Eastern Cemetery. The Eastern Cemetery is listed on the National Trust for Historic Places.
FMI:www.spiritsalive.org or (207)729-4817.

Springtime in Eastern Cemetery

Christina White of Spirits Alive sent along a note inviting interested folks to enjoy the Eastern Cemetery as spring blooms within its gates, and also to apprise us of upcoming events. Here it is! (Photo from one of the 2007 Workdays).

Good Afternoon,

The Accolade Cherry Trees are in bloom at the Congress gates of the Eastern! Pick-up the gate key at Carlson Turner bookstore (right across the street from the Eastern) and take a stroll, have a seat, enjoy! (This 6 acre cemetery is located on Congress/Mountfort/Federal Streets at the foot of Munjoy Hill.)

On Saturday, May 10th from 9a till 1p, Spirits Alive sponsors its third year of Work Days at Portland's oldest burial ground, the Eastern Cemetery. We host a Saturday Work Day each month beginning in May and concluding in October. Meet at the Congress Street gates.

We'll be planting/watering/mulching about 40 small caliper saplings and it looks like we'll also install two new flowering shrub beds at the Congress Street entrance. With the installation on the 10th, Landscape Architect Barry Hosmer and Spirits Alive volunteers will have installed about 150 trees and flowering shrubs. Each season, this historic site is transforming into an inviting site with offerings of color, light shade, texture and even habitat for birds and insects.

All are welcomed, green thumb or not. Wear sensible shoes, bring work gloves, a bottle of water and sunscreen or a hat. Bring tools if you have them-- a rake, shovel, pruning shears, and wheelbarrow are very useful. We also take loan of City tools so those will be available.

Not up to planting trees? We have light pruning and trimming to do as well, and though volunteers have already done a trash pick-up, there's more to do.

Each May 10 volunteer will receive a ticket for a free 2008 Spirits Alive tour of your choosing as a "thank you." And, once again, Shipyard Brewery is donating their delicious Capt. Eli soft drinks.

Every hour volunteered on this site makes a great difference. Join this great group of Master Gardeners, green-space advocates, history buffs, neighbors, and Spirits Alive volunteers.

Let us know if you'll be joining us!

Best,
Christina and Spirits Alive
christina[at]spiritsalive.org

EVENT: The Night Portland Burned

The final talk in the Spirits Alive winter lecture series is on March 29th!

WHEN: Saturday, March 29th at 10am
WHERE: One Longfellow Square (at the corner of State and Congress Streets)
WHAT: Earle G.Shettleworth, Jr., State Historic Preservation Commission Director will be presenting, "The Day Portland Burned: July 4, 1866."

This illustrated lecture is free and open to the public. A brief Q&A will follow. Beverages will be available for purchase. Donations to Spirits Alive are always appreciated.

Notable for being the worst urban fire of its time in the United States, The Great Fire struck just as Portland was recovering from its active role in the Civil War. Within 24 hours, the center of the peninsula lay in ruins with 10,000 people left homeless. It was estimated that there was over $12 million in damage. Even the Eastern Cemetery was affected as the inferno swept up Munjoy Hill.

True to its motto "Resurgam", the city quickly rebounded by constructing a Grand Victorian business district and establishing new residential neighborhoods on the east and west ends of the peninsula. The lecture traces the dramatic destruction and rebirth of a great American city.

A Portland native, Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. attended Deering High School, Colby College and Boston University. At the age of thirteen he became interested in historic preservation through the destruction of Portland's Union Station in 1961. In 1971 he was appointed by Governor Curtis to serve on the board of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, for which he became architectural historian in 1973 and director in 1976. Shettleworth has lectured and written extensively on Maine history and architecture, his most recent publication being Portland in the Arcadia postcard series. He currently serves as chair of the Capitol Planning Commission, the Blaine House Commission, and the State House and Capitol Park Commission.

In March 2004, Governor Baldacci appointed Mr. Shettleworth as State Historian.

EVENT: Stranger Stop & Cast an Eye

WHEN: Saturday, February 23rd, 10:00am till 11:15am
WHERE: One Longfellow Square (Congress & State Streets at the Longfellow statue), Portland, Maine
WHAT: The 2nd installment of Spirits Alive's three-part Winter Lecture Series. The public is welcomed and the lecture is free.

Dr. David Watters, Professor of English and American Studies at the University of New Hampshire, will present an illustrated lecture entitled "Stranger, Stop and Cast an Eye: A Cultural History of New England."

Dr. Watters will explain how New England's burying grounds tell the stories of four centuries of religious beliefs, family patterns, and social change. Starting with the earliest English markers from the 1660s, we can see in gravestone imagery and hear in epitaphs the hopes and fears of individuals and societies facing the facts of death and life. In tracing changes in gravestone imagery and in cemetery design from Colonial time to today, we see the larger cultural history of New England, as the cemetery reveals stories of immigration, war, social class, all leavened with the wit and wisdom associated with the New England epitaphs.

Watters received his doctorate in American Civilization from Brown University and is a specialist in the study of early American Culture. He was co-editor of The Encyclopedia of New England Culture, and among other publications is his book, Puritan Gravestone Art.

Spirits Alive is the group that has been doing a great job at restoring and revitalizing Portland's Eastern Cemetery. Please see further details of their lecture series online.

EVENT: Cumberland County Gravestones Lecture

Spirits Alive is the group that has been doing a great job at restoring and revitalizing Portland's Eastern Cemetery.

Starting this Saturday, their lecture series kicks off with:

Death & Commemoration on the Frontier: An Analysis of Early Gravestones in Cumberland County, Maine, 1720-1820
Saturday, January 26
10:00 am - 11:15 am
One Longfellow Square, 181 State Street, Portland, ME

Joy M. Giguere, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of Maine, will give an illustrated lecture about 18th century burial practices and gravestones in Cumberland County. This talk will provide an examination of early gravestones in Cumberland County ranging in dates from 1720 to 1820 and what they indicate about early commemorative, social and ideological patterns of Maine residents during this period.

Ms. Giguere will discuss different types of gravestone iconography (winged death's head, cherub, urn and willow, etc.) and the distribution of these types over time and space. She will also provide a discussion of the works of two local carvers, Noah Pratt and Joseph Sikes, as well as an analysis of epitaph language and its usage over time.

Others have completed in depth research on this type of information in more southern regions of New England, but there has been little investigation into gravestones as cultural artifacts on the Maine landscape, which effectively functioned as the northern frontier of English settlement through the colonial period of American history. A question and answer session will follow.

Admission is free and open to the public (donations accepted) and beverages will be available for purchase.

EVENT: Saturday, Spirits Alive meeting

Spirits Alive is the group that has been doing a great job at restoring and revitalizing Portland's Eastern Cemetery.

Join them for their first annual meeting! On Saturday, January 19, 2008, they will be holding a meeting to review the events of 2007 and to look forward to 2008. Everyone is invited to come to One Longfellow Square (at State and Congress Streets) in Portland, Maine. The festivities start at 2:30 pm and run until 3:30 pm. Get there early and be challenged by their giant Eastern Cemetery crossword puzzle, view 2007 activities, and give them your ideas about the Eastern Cemetery on their re-imagination wall. Enter to win a fabulous Eastern Cemetery tee and tour tickets! They'll be announcing their Spirits Alive Membership Program, and you'll have the chance to join! Visit them online at http://www.spiritsalive.org/

Also of note is their upcoming lecture series, kicking off a week from Saturday with:

Death & Commemoration on the Frontier: An Analysis of Early Gravestones in Cumberland County, Maine, 1720-1820
Saturday, January 26
10:00 am - 11:15 am
One Longfellow Square, 181 State Street, Portland, ME

Joy M. Giguere, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of Maine, will give an illustrated lecture about 18th century burial practices and gravestones in Cumberland County. This talk will provide an examination of early gravestones in Cumberland County ranging in dates from 1720 to 1820 and what they indicate about early commemorative, social and ideological patterns of Maine residents during this period.

Ms. Giguere will discuss different types of gravestone iconography (winged death's head, cherub, urn and willow, etc.) and the distribution of these types over time and space. She will also provide a discussion of the works of two local carvers, Noah Pratt and Joseph Sikes, as well as an analysis of epitaph language and its usage over time.

Others have completed in depth research on this type of information in more southern regions of New England, but there has been little investigation into gravestones as cultural artifacts on the Maine landscape, which effectively functioned as the northern frontier of English settlement through the colonial period of American history. A question and answer session will follow.

Admission is free and open to the public (donations accepted) and beverages will be available for purchase.