Western Cemetery Sees Improvements and a Rededication Ceremony
Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc. report on recent achievements, coming improvements, and a rededication ceremony on August 11th.
By W. John Funk
As we approach midsummer, the Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc. has lots of good news to report.
As of July 1st, our capital campaign has raised over $170,000 in cash and pledges toward our goal of $250,000. The campaign will pay for a tool house with a water line, a relocated flagpole, a fence on the Western Promontory like that on Vaughan Street, a restoration and repair of an historic section of the wrought iron fence in the northwest corner, and various other projects recommended in the 2004 Master Plan and described in our campaign materials.
To date, the city has approved our plans for the tool house and water line, the flagpole, and the historic fence, and we have the funds to proceed. We have also coordinated with the city on mowing the grounds and removing debris from winter and spring storms.
Volunteer!
We continue to work with volunteers on Saturday mornings beginning at 8:30 to care for the cemetery and its gravestones. Volunteers clear, repair, and restore gravestones. They remove invasive species, clip grass, and groom monuments.
At the end of June, we successfully repaired and restored forty-seven gravestones with the help of Joe Ferrannini, a nationally known conservator, including a rare tabletop gravestone and the gravestone of a Revolutionary War veteran Elijah Kellogg.
Join us! Rededication Ceremony
We will host a rededication ceremony officiated by Maine’s Bishop Emeritus Robert Deeley on August 11th. The ceremony will recognize the 25th anniversary of the Western Cemetery’s anointing as hallowed ground for the Irish Catholics buried on the premises.
We give tours of the cemetery on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. A recent tour had twenty-two visitors. We also encourage neighbors to stop by on their walks and runs to enjoy its serene environment and learn about its residents.
Please go to our website www.westerncemetery.me for information. Our website is robust with details about the cemetery’s history, activities, the ways in which you may volunteer and how you may contribute to the capital campaign.
Restoring the cemetery is a long-term task. We are making great progress. But we won’t succeed without your help as volunteers. There are all kinds of opportunities. Please visit the “Get Involved” section of our website to explore the possibilities.
W. John Funk is President of Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc.
