Stewards of the Western Cemetery

05/18/2026

FREE TOURS resume this Sunday, May 24 at 2 PM, and continue every Sunday at 2 PM through October! Groups and walk-ups are welcome! Tours begin at the Daveis Gate on Vaughan Street.

Additional times by request: [email protected]

Come hear the stories of 19th century Portlanders and hear our progress in restoration of this historic cemetery.

03/27/2026

Monday March 30, 2026, the new fencing along the Western Prom should be (finally) finished!

The return of the restored historic wrought iron fence will be next.

Every creature in the neighborhood has been interested in our progress!

12/31/2025

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN GOAL MET!
The Trustees of the Stewards of the Western Cemetery are thrilled to announce that with your generous support, we have reached our Capital Campaign goal of $250,000!

Support the Stewards of the Western Cemetery % Capital Campaign Goal goal met! december 31, 2025Capital Campaign $250,556 Stewards of the Western Cemetery provides continuing care for Portland’s historic Western Cemetery to overcome years of neglect and deterioration; pays honor and respect to pri...

11/18/2025

The Trustees of the Stewards of the Western Cemetery attended a Portland City Council Meeting on November 17, 2025 at which the Council accepted the Stewards' gift to the City of the tool shed to be installed in the Western Cemetery. In attendance were John Funk, Jonathan Monro, Sam Wilson and Kip DeSerres. John Funk, President, made remarks on behalf of the Stewards.

Some background: the Stewards embarked on a capital campaign 2 years ago to raise $250,000 to complete improvements to the cemetery. They include a tool shed with electricity and water to house the tools necessary to restore gravestones and maintain thecemetery, a fence and path along the Western Promenade, railing for the steps and the restoration of the remaining portion of the wrought iron fence on the upper west side of the cemetery. In addition, it needed funds to improve the website to provide information to the public about the cemetery and its activities.

To date, the Stewards have raised over $247,500; that is 99% of the goal. This money has been re-invested in the community to pay for services and materials needed to make the improvements. The exterior path and fence are done; the new and historic fence should be completed shortly. The Stewards expect the shed to be installed before winter. Almost all of these improvements were paid for by donations from well over 200 individual Portland residents from door-to-door solicitations. Maine Medical and the Daughters of the American Revolution also provided funds.

Since the Western Cemetery is a city property, the Stewards thought that it was appropriate to donate the shed to the City. It will continue to maintain the shed and other improvements, but wishes their use and enjoyment to be owned by the public through the City.

11/09/2025

To our donors and volunteers:

Guess what! We only have $3,363 to go to meet our capital campaign goal of $250,000. Will you help get us to the top? You can donate online at https://westerncemetery.me/support/ on our donor page or you can send a check to the Stewards of the Western Cemetery, 622 Congress St., Ste 9998, Box 5267, Portland, ME 04101-3368. Thanks for your support.

This is a great time to visit the cemetery to see all of our accomplishments this year.

Support the Stewards of the Western Cemetery % Capital Campaign Goal Thank you for helping us meet our goal! raised toward $250,000as of september 9, 2025Capital Campaign $246,637 Stewards of the Western Cemetery provides continuing care for Portland’s historic Western Cemetery to overcome years o...

10/22/2025

Special on News Center Maine! The Stewards celebrate the success of the Capital Campaign at an event at the Western Cemetery on October 19, 2025.

The cemetery still needs about $5,000 to meet its fundraising target, organizers said.

09/16/2025

Hi friends! We are just $9,741 away from our capital campaign goal of $250,000. Please consider a donation to help us over the finish line! More ways to donate are here: https://westerncemetery.me/support/

Why are we asking for support?

We are asking for your help right now to raise capital funds in the amount of $250,000 to make significant improvements to the cemetery to prevent further deterioration of its grounds. These improvements were first identified in the Master Plan dated January 2001 commissioned by the Portland Department of Parks and Recreation. They will involve the construction of a tool house to store vital tools and equipment for restoring gravestones, extension of a water line to the tool house, the purchase of a portable generator to power tools and the completion of a fence around the perimeter of the cemetery, reseeding areas of Woodbine Grove, and planting trees on the north slope of the cemetery to prevent erosion, among other things. Handicap access will also be improved on the site along with other amenities.

These improvements will allow us to proceed with the essential work of restoring gravestones and bring the history of its residents to light for all of us to learn and enjoy. As our capital campaign donations grow to levels where we can pay for specific capital improvements, we will begin that work so that we can complete them as quickly as possible. We want you to witness the changes now, rather than in the future!

09/03/2025

The Western Cemetery family mourns the death of Derek O’Brien, one of our dedicated volunteers.

View Derek Hance O'Brien's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

05/27/2025

Nearly 200 flags placed at Veterans graves for Memorial Day, up from only about 100 last year, thanks to Kip DeSerres’ research.

Photo by Derek O’Brien.

02/10/2025

We are very excited to announce that Western Cemetery has been added to the National Register of Historic Places!

READ DETAILS:
https://westerncemetery.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/West-End-News.pdf