By Carol McCracken  (Post # 1,677)

The public is invited once again to participate in the annual Spirits Alive Winter Lecture series that begins later this month.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore aspects of Colonial New  England burial grounds that include customs and symbolism in stones, stone carver Bartlett Adams and the status of Portland’s small burial grounds. The l l/2 hour lectures are held at the University of Southern Maine Abromson Center, Wishcamper Building, Room 102.  They run from 1:30 pm until 3:00 pm on Saturdays. Parking is in the USM garage on campus.  Suggested donation is $5.00 per person at the door.  The series is hosted by Spirits Alive of Eastern Cemetery, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of historic Eastern Cemetery at the foot of Munjoy Hill at Congress Street.

Lectures:  Saturday, January 25th – The art, history and symbolism of early New England gravestones – presented by The Gravestone Girls – Melissa Anderson, Maggie White and Brenda Sullivan. http://www.gravestonegirls.com/

February 22 –  Bartlett Adams:  Portland’s First Stone cutter.  Lecturer Ron Romano, tour guide and member of the Spirits Alive Board, will present original research that explores the life and times of Bartlet Adams in Portland and reveals the scope and impact of his work at Portland’s historic Eastern Cemetery and beyond.

March 29 – The Status and Future of Portland’s Forgotten Cemeteries.  A panel discussed several historic small burial grounds and what it takes to restore them to our cultural landscape.

Panelists:  Marianne Chapman, Grand Trunk Cemetery; Matt Barnes, Peaks Island Cemeteries; Joe Dumais, City of Portland, Cemetery Supervisor; and a representative of Stroudwater Cemetery.

For more information, please visit www.spritsalive.org/events/lectures.htm  – sa@spiritsalive.org facebook.com/spiritsalive twitter.com/easterncemetery

Contact: Martha Zimicki, President, Board of Trustees, Spirits Alive 207 – 232-6545, mzimicki@gmakil.com