Maine Old Cemetery Association upcoming events

MOCA Intro Skills Workshop (20 Sep 2026)

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Join us for a day of engaging cemetery presentations and hands-on work in the cemetery. Learn about forming a cemetery committee, documenting a cemetery, preservation techniques, and best practices while gaining practical experience caring for these important historic spaces.

Schedule

9:30 - Registration

10:00 - 11:15 Presentations

Documenting Cemeteries
Forming a Cemetery Committee

11:30 - 12:00 Cemetery Assessment Walking Tour
Learn about the different styles and materials of gravestones. We will look at gravestones in need of repair and discuss methods of repair.

12:00 - 12:30 Lunch
Bring your own lunch

12:30 - 3:00 Cleaning and Leaning
We will demonstrate how to safely clean gravestones using best practices. Afterwards, see a demonstration on how to straighten a leaning tablet style gravestone.

This workshop is limited to 25 people.
Donations will be accepted each day of the workshop.
Checks should be made out to MOCA.
Workshop Volunteer Policy
Workshop Waiver

Fall 2026 Program Day (26 Sep 2026)

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 12:30:00 GMT

Hosted by the Owls Head Cemetery Committee
&
Mussel Ridge Historical Society

Owls Head Community Center
224 Ash Point Drive
Owls Head, Maine 04854

8:30–9:00 a.m. — Registration, Morning Refreshments & Displays

MOCA Director Election: MOCA members who have not already voted electronically or by mail may cast their ballots in person during the morning session. Ballots will be accepted from 8:30–10:30 a.m., at which time voting will close.

9:00–9:15 a.m. — Welcome
Walter Guptill, President, Maine Old Cemetery Association

9:15–10:00 a.m. — Henry Knox: The Most Under Appreciated Hero of the Revolutionary War
James Genco
Collections Chairman & Curator, Henry Knox Museum
The presentation will focus on who Henry Knox was, his critical role as Chief of Artillery for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, and his close relationship with George Washington. James will also discuss Knox's importance as a founding father and the nation's first Secretary of War, concluding with Henry and Lucy Knox's life and impact on Midcoast Maine.

10:00–10:15 a.m. — Break, Refreshments & Displays

10:15–10:30 a.m. — Revolutionary War Patriots from Owls Head
Michelle Miller
Mussel Ridge Historical Society

10:30–11:00 a.m. — The Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Patriots of Tolman Cemetery, Rockland, Maine
Helen Shaw
Lady Knox Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution
Learn about the conservation of historic Tolman Cemetery, the 22 Revolutionary War Patriots buried there, and the publication of the book Fighting for Freedom, Fighting for Survival.

11:00–11:15 a.m. — MOCA Annual Meeting
Election Results & Announcements

11:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m. — Maine Old Cemetery Association's Revolutionary War Patriot Burial Project and How to Apply for a Veteran's Headstone
Heather Almquist, PhD
Chair, MOCA Cemetery Records Committee
Member, Owls Head Cemetery Committee
Learn about MOCA's Revolutionary War Patriots Database—what it is, how you can access it, and how you can contribute. Also learn the basics of how to apply for a veteran's headstone.

12:00–1:00 p.m. — Lunch
$13 per person

Italian Sausage Soup — tomato base
Creamy Chicken & Cheese Soup
Homemade Italian and Sourdough Bread
Fruit
Variety of Desserts
Coffee, Tea & Water

Please let us know when registering of any dietary needs, including gluten-free requirements.

1:00 p.m. — Visit to Merriman Cemetery

Visit the recently conserved Merriman Cemetery, a project of the Owls Head Cemetery Committee undertaken with professional conservator Joe Ferrannini of Grave Stone Matters.

Learn the story of Owls Head Lightkeeper Llewellyn Norwood, who died at the lighthouse on April 13, 1911. Is Llewellyn really interred in Owls Head—or in his hometown of Southwest Harbor, as originally intended? Discover how the muddy roads of an early Maine spring may have changed those plans and created a mystery that remains more than a century later.

* MMA Annual Convention (07 Oct 2026)

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Board Meeting - Organizational (08 Oct 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Details including meeting link to be posted 14 days in advance.

NOTE: Regular Board Meetings are held virtually during the 2nd month of each quarter on the third Thursday, starting at 6:30 PM.

Board Meeting - 4th Quarter (19 Nov 2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 23:30:00 GMT

Details including meeting link to be posted 14 days in advance.

NOTE: Regular Board Meetings are held virtually during the 2nd month of each quarter on the third Thursday, starting at 6:30 PM.

Newsletter Content Deadline - Winter 2027 (31 Dec 2026)

Thu, 31 Dec 2026 05:00:00 GMT

You are invited to contribute essays, articles, poems, photos, illustrations, and any other information related to MOCA activities, old cemeteries, local history, burial and funeral rites and rituals. Our next newsletter is on the design board, and we would love to share your cemetery-related content.

If you have something to share with your fellow taphophiles:

Send written items in MS Word, plain text documents, or included in the body of an email message;
Clearly indicate the author's name;
Send photos/illustrations that you own or have direct permission to share with MOCA. Use the highest available resolution in JPG format;
Include name of photographer and captions for photos/illustrations.
Tell us where you are from. If you're from out of state or a temporary/seasonal resident, also let us know how you are connected to Maine.

Send content suggestions to
news@moca-me.org today!

We are excited to see what where your contributions will lead us!