Portland's Historic Eastern Cemetery ─ A Field of Ancient Graves

Eastern Cemetery holds more than 350 years of Portland’s rich history. Within the sacred burial ground rest settlers who struggled with the natives over resources, citizens who had to choose their allegiance to the king or independence and abolitionists fighting for the end of slavery. From bank robbers and murdering mutineers to Quakers and war heroes, the lives of those interred offer a window into the past. Author and cemetery guide Ron Romano tells the fascinating tale of this historic landscape, illuminating centuries of Portland’s history through the stories of those laid to rest.

A native of Portland, Maine, Ron Romano spent his college and career years in Boston, returning to his hometown in 2011. He serves on the Board of Spirits Alive—the Friends of Portland’s Eastern Cemetery—leading their Walking Tours program, participating in stone conservation and researching gravestones and their makers at the historic burial ground. Ron is a frequent lecturer on the early stonecutters of southern Maine and has guided groups through many historic cemeteries in the area. His original research on the life and work of stonecutter Bartlett Adams led to the publication of his first book in 2016 with The History Press.