The bloomin’ Eastern Cemetery

We’re Dying to See You this Summer!

Summer is in full swing at Eastern Cemetery. Whether you're stopping by to explore, taking a guided tour, or helping preserve this historic landscape, here's a preview of what's coming up.

Walking Tours

Daily at 4pm
$10 per person

We are the only cemetery in Maine offering daily walking tours. Join us for an informative jaunt through the stones with a knowledgeable and trained volunteer guide. Tour groups are small and allow time for questions.

More: spiritsalive.org/tours
Special note: If you want to get the latest on what’s going on with Spirits Alive and the cemetery, tour coordinator and president, Jeff Lyons keeps our Instagram feed alive all year long. Follow us on Instagram.

Stone Conservation

Most Saturdays
8am–12pm, weather permitting

Our conservation crew has been hard at work this summer! Volunteers have cleaned dozens of gravestones, removed years of lichen buildup, and straightened several leaning monuments. We also welcomed professional conservator Joe Ferrannini of Grave Stone Matters for 3 days of hands-on conservation work, giving volunteers the opportunity to learn from one of the best in the field.
If you want to be added to our conservation email list, let us know: easterncemetery@gmail.com. We love beginners and experienced helpers alike. We provide the tools and the expertise and would love to have you on our team. You never know what we’ll dig up!

spiritsalive.org/stones/conserve
As our head of conservation, Adrian Astley says, “if you can brush your teeth, you can clean a grave stone!”

Subterranean Celebrity: Samuel Freeman

Samuel Freeman's name may not be familiar today, but his influence on early Portland is everywhere. Revolutionary leader, civic servant, champion of Maine statehood, founder of the town's first library—and even connected to the founding of the Abyssinian Meeting House—his remarkable story reveals how one man helped shape a community. Read more about this extraordinary resident of Eastern Cemetery on our own Subterranean Celebrity: Samuel Freeman page.

His grave stone reads:

HON. SAMUEL FREEMAN

died June 18, 1831

AEt. 88
[2 lines of illegible inscription]

This simple marble marker is quite a contrast to the elaborately carved slate stones carved for his first wife Mary Fowle, his mother, Mary Wright, and his father, Enoch. The marker for his son, Samuel Deane, who died only a few months after him, is very similar, though broken.

Thanks to Larry Glatz for the biography and image of Samuel Freeman.

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.

Diane consulting the burial book, conservation day, summer 2015.
Photo by J. Alexander

It was 20 years ago when a small group of cemetery, gardening, and history enthusiasts gathered under the direction of Christina White to form Spirits Alive.

Thank you to all of our volunteers for their selfless giving of time and resources over the years to protect, preserve, promote, and provide education about this sacred and historic outdoor museum, the Eastern Cemetery. Check out our timeline of Spirits Alive Milestones. Much of this work continues today!

SA Swag

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

For 20 years, Spirits Alive, a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, has been dedicated to the protection and preservation of Portland, Maine’s historic Eastern Cemetery through a range of activities including promotion and education.