Portland,Maine
May, 1997
by John Alphonse
This view of Eastern Cemetery from Congress Street
will soon be lined with sugar maples.
Portland's oldest cemetery - and one of the peninsula's largest open spaces - is in the process of a long-overdue landscaping restoration, thanks to the concern and persistence of Portland landscape architect Barry Hosmer.
Laid
out in 1668, Eastern Cemetery is believed to be the final resting place
of Portland's first settler, George Cleeve. It is most famous as the burial
site of the captains of the British frigate "Boxer" and American
ship "Enterprise," two Revolutionary War ships that engaged in
a 35-minute battle off Monhegan Island on September 5, 1813. British Commander
Samuel Blythe and Yankee Captain William Burroughs were buried with full
honors near the Mountfort Street side of the over six-acre plot of land.
Hosmer had been driving by the cemetery on his way home for years, "seeing this barren site that could function as a real nice open space." He began working on a landscape renovation master plan on his own in 1992, and the plan was approved by the Portland Historic Preservation Committee in 1995.
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Hosmer stands near the site of the cemetery's first
burials. |
It took Hosmer a few years of persistence and a dash of serendipity to reinvigorate City Hall's interest in this historically neglected public space. The shared concern of city arborist Jeff Tarling was the fuel that ignited Hosmer's fire.
"Jeff's been great," says Hosmer. "He really cares about the city, and he sees an opportunity to improve the historic value of this cemetery. He has enough work to do just maintaining the existing trees in the city, but he still supports something that will improve the quality of life here, even if it means more work."
Lack of funds for existing tree work has made it necessary for the city to deem Eastern Cemetery a low priority. But with Hosmer's dedication and Tarling's willingness to go the extra mile, the first of the planting phase was carried out by the city's forestry crew last June. Five elms were planted, and a 15-foot pine tree was placed in the southwest corner of the the cemetery in recognition of a landmark giant pine which once stood at the spot. Unfortunately, the pine tree was uprooted, and left to die, by vandals.
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The view from the cemetery's highest knoll |
Tarling and Hosmer hope that a sense of neighborhood stewardship will be nurtured by the attention of the landscape restoration project. With that kind of care, the ill fate of the 15-foot pine could have been prevented, they feel.
Through volunteer efforts, business contributions and the continued support of Tarling, the second phase of planting occurs next month. Tarling says sugar maples being placed along each side of Funeral Lane will create an allay of blazing red leaves in autumn, which will be a striking visual site from the Congress Street entrance when the trees mature. The vandalized pine will also be replaced this month.
Other trees scheduled to be planted over the coming years will be as true to species as the known originals, which were sleuthed out by Hosmer's research into the cemetery's history. White pine, hickory, red oak and copper beech are but a few of the other tree types in the plan.
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| Detail from the gravestone of "Mrs. Margarett, widow of Dec. John Phillips." She died in 1856 at age 85. | The classic winged skull design of the late-1700's adorns this stone. |
The speed of the project's completion depends on available finances and is expected to span at least a decade. Hosmer informs interested citizens that the city will accept donations and apply them specifically to the Eastern Cemetery landscape restoration if the donor asks. Call 874-8793 for more information.
A project like this would not have come about if not for Hosmer's and Tarling's foresight and genuine concern for the future of Portland; most of the trees planted will not reach maturity for forty or fifty years, at which time their beauty can fully be appreciated.
Eastern Cemetery's presently locked main entrance is near the corner of Congress Street and Washington Avenue. The city will oblige interested citizens with access upon request.
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