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Evening Halloween Tours Start This Week

WATS specters

October 21-23 & 28-30
6:30pm - 7:30pm
First-come, first-served

Walk Among the Shadows III — evening tours through the Eastern Cemetery — start Thursday, October 21st with actors from Acorn Productions starring as the interred. Dark specters will lead tour groups from spirit to spirit, stopping to listen to their strange tales along the way. Portland Playback actors will bring the dead to life in the same spooky manner — with a mix of eeriness and fright for young and old next week at the same time. Only 5 tour groups allowed through each night, so arrive early! Admission is $10 and $5 for children 12 and under.

This is the largest fundraiser for the upkeep and care of the Eastern Cemetery. Money earned will fund the repair of the Congress Street fence.

Subterranean Celebrity: Joseph Greenleaf

Portland Head Light PlaqueThe first lighthouse keeper at Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth was appointed by George Washington. Even though such a high honor was bestowed upon him, Captain Joseph Greenleaf was not paid for his work for 2 years. Wasn't it nice of the government to allow him to live there rent-free? Captain Greenleaf died after 4 years of service while he was aboard his own boat on the Fore River on October 3, 1795. Since suffering that stroke while afloat, he has rested in section K, lot 45.

Spirited Business: Carlson & Turner Antiquarian Books

Carlson Turner logoFor the past umpteen number of years, this quaint little Congress Street bookstore has agreed to hold the gate key to the cemetery. Carlson & Turner Antiquarian Books has selflessly doled out that key to cemetery buffs young and old — without compensation or fanfare. Not only that, but they are serving Walk Among the Shadows III tourees, this time staying open late to dole out piping hot cider! The storefront offers antique books for sale as well as bookbinding and letterpress services; they purchase books, maps, art and photographs. Stop in today — kind of like visiting the Eastern Cemetery, you never know what you will find!

Team Buries 2010 Stone Survey Project

2010 Stone Transcription Crew

The season for transcribing stones on Saturday mornings in the cemetery has ended. Incredibly, we transcribed over 600 stones this year — this encompassed 6 entire sections of the cemetery! We could not have accomplished this incredible feat without the help of our fearless team of detectives that faithfully came out and toiled away each and every week. Also, a big thanks to the Boy Scout team that made a huge dent in our long list of marker transcriptions. We will start up again in the Spring of 2011 with the goal of finishing the entire site and starting a photographic survey.

Become a Spirits Alive Friend Today

Help Spirits Alive keep the Eastern Cemetery alive for generations to come and join as a Friend. For only $25 a year ($40 for families, $15 for students or elders), you can help:

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