Subterranean Celebrity: James Bannatyne

The Eastern Cemetery in Portland, Maine holds the memories of around 7,000 persons. Some of them are known; some are not. As we uncover stories of their lives, we share them through our e-newsletter. Sometimes the tidbits are not of life, but only of the artifact that remains. These are our subterranean celebrities.

James Bannatyne headstone

James Bannatyne's conserved marble head stone. Photo by Barbara Hager

In 1842, temperance was a hot topic. Maine was less than a decade from enacting prohibition, and speakers like James Bannatyne had been lecturing crowds on the evils of indulgence in alcohol. Bannatyne died at of tuberculosis, and his headstone was purchased by the Young Men’s Temperance Society (of which Neal Dow was a member). The top reads “A Stranger’s Grave.” This is likely not because he was unknown, but because he was a Scottish man without family in a foreign land.

A STRANGER’S GRAVE
James Bannatyne
Scotia’s Gifted Child
A man of rare worth
in Simplicity, Gentleness,
Natural Talents,
Sound Development,
and of Eloquence
unsurpassed.
Died
Oct 29, 1842.
Æt. 34.
Erected by the Young Men’s Temperance Society

Conservation Details

The conservation of James Bannatyne's Headstone was a project of the Spirits Alive project.

The headstone of our Subterranean Celebrity had fallen and broken, the top partly covered in sod. In spring 2014, Spirits Alive determined it was in good enough shape for conservation.

Bannatyne headstone after cleaning

A previous adhesive repair had failed, and the top was laying face up in the dirt. The bottom remained planted in the earth, although leaning. This image shows the stone after a cleaning.

Bannatyne headstone getting washed

The first phase included a simple wash and light scrub. Janet sprays a diluted mix of water and D2 on the surface. D2 is a biocide that penetrates the porous stone to kill organic life at its root.

Bannatyne headstone getting lots of attention

The process of cleaning the stone includes a simple water and D2 solution, very soft brushes (and a light touch), and a plastic scraper to gently get inside the inscription.

James Bannatyne's headstone is once again standing in once piece. If you get a chance to visit this season, take a look! After you enter the Congress Street gates, walk up Funeral Lane for a bit, and before you get to the turn and the tomb area, look left. His stone is 7 rows in. It's a big, beautiful piece of historic artwork.

This information was first published in the February 2015 issue of Spirits Alive eNews. It will be updated here as more information is available, but my contain information that is not quite right or needs to be corrected. Text may have been edited to make sense for this page as opposed to the eNews issue it had been a part of.

Further Reading

Last update: September 2026