Cemetery Committee
Background
Today’s Cemetery Committee is the outgrowth of a loosely organized volunteer effort started in the 1970’s by Ronald and Cora Tarbox and Calvin Cromwell. They were motivated by the deteriorating state of some of the Town’s gravesites, so they organized interested volunteers to help maintain and repair the 70 cemeteries scattered throughout the island. Today’s committee members are volunteers appointed by the Select Board, assisted by others as needs may require. The Town presently has 71 family cemeteries in both accessible and less accessible locations throughout the island. Information on all of these cemeteries is recorded in the latest version of the booklet, Westport Island, Maine Cemeteries, which is available for purchase ($15) or review at the Town Office. The latest version provides:
- A listing of all cemeteries by name
- An alphabetical listing of all graves in the cemeteries
- Cross referencing (memorial numbers) of the graves to the national Find-A-Grave Registry
- Location maps and directions to the cemeteries
- Details of the graves in each cemetery
What we do
Working with the permission of the cemetery’s landowners and descendants of those buried on the island, as they can be identified and contacted, the Committee undertakes annually to:
- Visit and inspect the condition of each cemetery -- removing brush, fallen trees or branches, and determining any needed repairs
- Inspect and make repairs, such as resetting and aligning headstones, repairing broken headstones and fences, filling in collapsed graves and marking boundaries as can be determined – all with the appropriate permissions and as resources allow
- Mark veteran’s graves with flags for Memorial Day
The Committee has a continuing commitment to keep the cemeteries in reasonable repair. And, with the increasing interest in genealogy, members are also committed to assisting ancestors and genealogists with locating gravesites and providing information on relatives buried on the Island.
Contacting us
Those interested in learning more about the Cemetery Committee or with assisting in its activities should contact the Select Board at: 882-8477 ext. 4; or email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Members
| Name | Position | Term Expires | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Casson | Chair | Indeterminate | (207) 882-8477 ext. 3 |
| Bailey Bartlett | Member | Indeterminate | |
| Archie Bonyun | Member | Indeterminate | |
| Alex Cromwell | Member | Indeterminate | |
| Bill Hopkins | Member | Indeterminate | |
| George D. Richardson, Jr. | Member | Indeterminate | |
| George Richardson, III | Member | Indeterminate | |
| John Wallace | Member | Indeterminate | |
| Adam Webber | Member | Indeterminate |