Spirits Alive at the Eastern Cemetery

Pioneers of Merrymeeting Bay with Bruce Bourque

Winter Lecture Series 2021

This is the first lecture in our series. It is little known that the English settlement around Merrymeeting Bay began about the same time Puritans arrived in Boston. Between then and 1675, a substantial community emerged but was wiped out during King Philip’s War. The history of this lost community is poorly understood and none of its early home sites has ever been located or explored archaeologically. The Merrymeeting Bay Pioneers Project aims to identify these pioneers and to locate and explore their homesteads.

Learn more about our Winter Lecture Series on our website.
slate headstone of John Smith
marble government-issued headstone for John Smith

Subterranean Celebrity: John Smith

Died: June 7, 1821

It was almost 200 years ago when John Smith departed this life. Those he left behind erected a slate headstone and a footstone. The pair is located in what was once considered an area for burials of Black people only. Part of the timpanum is broken off, but the urn and willow can still be made out. Also legible is the inscription:

In memory of
John Smith
who died
June 7, 1821
AEt. 63

John Smith also has another marker not far from this one. It is a government-issued marble stone with the inscription:

JOHN SMITH
MASS MILITIA
WAR OF 1812
1756 1821

Is this the same John Smith? Take a look at all of our John Smith images on Flickr. Ron Romano has also added a notes from newspapers about his death on Find a Grave where it describes him as "upright,"  a "worthy citizen," and mentions his vocation as a hair dresser and his military service serving in the Battle of Lake Champlain (a fight that helped end the War of 1812).

You can suggest a subterranean celebrity! Just send an email—it doesn't take much to make a nice little story. An index of all of our Subterranean Celebrities is available.

Ask Amazon to Donate to Spirits Alive

This is an easy way to give! If you're an Amazon shopper, here's an easy way to support our favorite and the oldest historic Portland, Maine, cemetery:

  • Go to smile.amazon.com
  • Enter "Spirits Alive" in the box
  • Choose the non-profit in Portland, Maine from the list

Voila! A portion of all of your purchases through smile.amazon.com will go to our efforts to support, conserve and promote this historic outdoor museum. Thank you!

Help the Eastern Cemetery

Support the work of Spirits Alive with your giving

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
We are 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.