The Thrasher Family lot at Eastern Cemetery, Portland,
before conservation work began.

Eastern Cemetery has existed for over 350 years and while its gravestones have been well-studied, there’s never been much attention paid to the fenced family lots. The cemetery’s 2011 Master Plan includes this recommendation: The cemetery’s iron plot fencing should be painted and, where necessary, repaired. So few remain that every effort should be made to ensure the protection of those still present.

I’ve been part of the friends group (Spirits Alive) for twelve years and have served in a variety of capacities, currently as Cemetery Historian. In January 2025 the board approved my proposal to document the number and condition of the fenced lots at the cemetery and identify those that could benefit from conservation. Using the original plot map from 1890 as a guide, I walked every row of the cemetery, photographed each lot, and developed recommendations for the board’s consideration.

I recorded 96 fenced lots in all, though surely there were once many more. Wooden fences from the old days have long since deteriorated. During the second half of the 1800s ten percent—over 700—of those buried at Eastern were disinterred and reburied elsewhere, leaving behind many empty lots. More than a third of the fenced lots documented on the 1890 map have since disappeared.

In my June 2025 report to the board, I assigned each lot to one of four categories ranging from “Code Red: no evidence of the fenced lot has survived” to “Code Green: posts and rails are found with varying degrees of condition.” Only eight were assigned Code Green and therefore considered for action.

The board selected to work on the Benjamin Thrasher lot. Last summer encroaching tree branches were pruned and a broken slate from 1860 was repaired and reset when Joe Ferrannini was onsite. The lot has four granite posts that are in good shape, but only one of the eight original metal rails is in good condition; two are bent and five are missing. For 2026, we plan to replace the bent and missing rails. Once all the rails are in place, mowing will be impossible so we may try replacing the grass with an appropriate low-growing ground cover. Our 2026 daily tours begin in May. Please join us and we’ll be happy to show you the ongoing work in the Thrasher lot!

Ron Romano, Author & Guide
MOCA Newsletter
Winter 2026 | Vol LVIII Issue 1