Events

Tours | Stone Transcription | Workdays

DAYTIME TOURS
In the spring and summer, Spirits Alive offers tours of the cemetery. Here are descriptions of tours we have offered in the past:

Portland's Oldest Burial Ground: The Place, The Times, The People, The Events – Connect the Forest City's past to the present by strolling through the site on this guided tour.

History of the EC with a Focus on Black Histories – A talk about the history of the Eastern Cemetery and early Portland, with a walk through the "colored grounds" while learning about the lives of various people buried in this section.

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.

STONE TRANSCRIPTION – Check the stoner schedule
Calling all history detectives and stone conservators! Come help us transcribe, measure, and assess the condition of the gravestones in the Eastern Cemetery.

WORKDAYS In the summer and fall, we spend a Saturday morning trimming, pruning, cleaning and tidying. Volunteers prune winter damage on the trees and shrubs, remove invasive vines, weed around the stones, mulch, and plant. We train how to perform gardening tasks while carefully working around the historic stones. We have a good time and sometimes even break a sweat!