Old Settlers Cemetery (South Portland, Maine) Explained

Old Settlers Cemetery
Country:United States
Location:Southern Maine Community College, 100 Campus Center Drive, South Portland, Maine
Coordinates:43.6456°N -70.2276°W
Type:Historic
Graves:18
Closed:Yes
Findagraveid:2393956

Old Settlers Cemetery, also known as Thrasher Cemetery, is a historic cemetery in South Portland, Maine, United States.[1] South Portland's oldest landmark, dating to 1658,[2] it stands today in the grounds of Southern Maine Community College, adjacent to Willard Beach.[3] There are eighteen marked graves in the cemetery, but it is believed there are several more unmarked burials.[4] The oldest visible burial is that of Ann Simonton, a Scot from today's Argyll and Bute,[5] who died in April 1744. Seven headstones are of members of the Thrasher family, hence the cemetery's alternative name.

The cemetery was abandoned around 1678 due to the outbreak of King Philip's War, which forced locals to flee the area. Nine families returned to the area around the turn of the 18th century, but in 1703 twenty-five of them were killed by a local Native American tribe, and an additional eight were captured.

Re-settlement was again attempted in 1716, this time without conflict.

In 1976, to mark the bicentenary of the United States, the cemetery was refurbished by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration, with landscaping and the installation of a new fence.[6]

The cemetery is maintained, on an annual basis, by students of the college.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: City of South Portland, Maine Official Website :: Cemetery Information . 2022-08-18 . www.southportland.org.
  2. http://students.usm.maine.edu/amanda.browne/cemeteries%20in%20South%20Portland.htm Cemeteries in South Portland, Maine
  3. Web site: Cemetery Information – South Portland . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110827161959/http://southportland.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B1EFE957C-1C4A-4E2A-96A2-7A0052B73AFE%7D . 2011-08-27 . 2010-09-12. Cemetery Information
  4. Web site: TheSMCCbeacon . 2018-04-10 . Old Settlers Cemetery . 2022-08-18 . The SMCC Beacon . en.
  5. Web site: TheSMCCbeacon . 2020-11-11 . Old Settlers Cemetery A Hidden Backstory . 2022-08-18 . The SMCC Beacon . en.
  6. Book: The Bicentennial of the United States of America: A Final Report to the People · Volume 4 . American Revolution Bicentennial Administration . 1977.
  7. Web site: WellsLeader/Sentry . Alexis . 2022-06-02 . Osewantha Garden Club plans annual summer events . 2022-08-18 . Press Herald.