marble military marker of Zachariah Nowell with a flat granite military marker in front of it. A US flag is planted to the left of them.

Military grave markers of Zachariah Nowell, Revolutionary War veteran

Two Lights for Tomorrow Event

Friday, April 18
7:00pm

Eastern Cemetery

Spirits Alive is taking part in Two Lights for Tomorrow, a nationwide initiative to commence the celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States of America.

We intend to remind people all season long of the role Falmouth (what Portland was named immediately before) played in the birth of this nation and of the many Revolutionary veterans we have in Eastern Cemetery.

Join us for a reading of “Paul Revere’s Ride” and a display of two lights at dusk.

Boston’s Younger Sister in Rebellion: Falmouth during the Revolution

Saturday, April 19
11:00am

This is the first tour of many this year that will focus on the Revolutionary War and its veterans memorialized in Eastern Cemetery.

marble obelisk for George Loring in Eastern Cemetery

Loring monument, photo by Ron Romano

Capt. George Loring Jr. was master of the ship Eliza Warwick. In January of 1847, he and two others were swept from the ship’s deck by a massive wave during a storm. The heavily damaged ship was able to reach its destination of Liverpool England, but Loring and the others were lost to their watery graves in the North Atlantic. The Lorings erected a marble obelisk to memorialize 24-year-old George in Section A, between tombs 83 & 84, but that monument was not—for unknown reasons—recorded in the cemetery’s original burial records. Loring’s story has an eerie twist as reported in the Portland Argus newspaper. Before the news of Loring’s death came back to Portland in the spring of 1847, a young lady “appeared in great distress in her sleep” and when her mother woke her, she frighteningly exclaimed that George Loring had drowned. The family noted the date of her dream and reported her premonition once news of Loring’s death was verified by witnesses aboard the ship…

CAPT.
GEORGE W. LORING
died at sea
Jan. 12, 1845
AEt. 24

Many thanks to our cemetery historian Ron Romano, for the research and write-up on George. Suggest your own subterranean celebrity! Just send an email—it doesn't take much (basic vitals, plot location, and or photo) to make a nice little story. An index of all of our Subterranean Celebrities is available.

Guess what cemetery fan group has its own shirts, caps, playing cards, and tote bags? Spirits Alive does, that’s who! Visit us on Zazzle to view all of our products. Please know that proceeds go directly back to Spirits Alive to help us fund our work to keep the Eastern Cemetery cared for and to teach others about its wonders.

Support Eastern Cemetery

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

Spirits Alive is 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.