The first Sebago cemetery cleanup day was a huge success, with an enthusiastic crew of twenty people turning out with rakes, shovels and pry bars, string trimmers, clippers and lots of energy. Organized by the Sebago cemetery committee (Ann Farley, Ted Greene and June Allen) this was the first of hopefully many community efforts to clean up some of the graves of the founders of our town. On workday, Sunday May 16, the crew tackled four of the older cemeteries in town.
In our little town of Sebago there are 45 cemeteries, ranging from the larger town cemeteries on Hancock Pond Road to tiny one- and two-family plots in the woods where there used to be farm fields and houses. An inspection by the cemetery committee found that most of them, especially the smaller ones, were in need of a general spring clean up to remove broken branches and twigs, trim encroaching trees and shrubs, and to rake away an accumulation of leaves. The committee also found a number of broken and tilting headstones that needed repair.
Zoe Greene was one of twenty people who turned out to help clean up Sebago cemeteries Sunday afternoon. The crew cut brush, raked leaves, trimmed weeds, straightened gravestones and filled in sunken areas at the graves at four historic cemeteries in town. Here Zoe smoothes new soil in a 1903 grave in the Potter graveyard on Route 107.
Photo by Allen Crabtree
The crew of volunteers cleaned up the Potter Cemetery on Route 107 (that’s the one across the road from the old town “poor” farm where there is a beautiful statue of a weeping lady), the Pike family cemetery on Allen Road (one of Sebago’s earliest families), the Poor Family cemetery at Hillside (next to the old farmhouse of Edwin Poor, one of Sebago’s early attorneys), and the Clark-Haley family cemetery on Convene Road (enclosed by a living fence of cedar trees).
Alan and Ted Greene brought their dump trucks loaded with gravel and loam. Wheelbarrows and buckets of dirt were carried in to fill in hollows in the graveyards where the ground had settled were filled. These were raked smooth, top dressed, and seeded.
Butch Farley and Jim Jansz attacked the low growing vegetation and trees with weed-whackers, while the rest of the crew clipped off trees and shrubs that had sprouted inside the cemetery walls. Each cemetery then got a good raking and leaf blowing to remove the sometimes years of accumulated leaves. A good breeze kept the black flies at bay for at least some of the time.
Alan and Ted Greene straightened leaning gravestones and mentally marked those where more extensive repairs will need to be done. Some stones have come loose from their bases and will need to be reattached. Others have broken, and these will be taken to Greg Smith, a local stone worker who has kindly volunteered to epoxy back together any gravestones that are brought to his shop on Kimball Corner Road.
Ted Greene (l) and Alan Greene straighten a leaning headstone at the Potter cemetery on Route 107. The crew cut brush, raked leaves, trimmed weeds, straightened gravestones and filled in sunken areas at the graves at four historic cemeteries.
Photo by Allen Crabtree
Following the cemetery clean up the Sebago Lions Club brought their snack/cook wagon to the Town Hall and put on a free cookout for all the workers. The hot dogs and hamburgers hit the spot, and a nice breeze came up to keep away the black flies while we ate.
Everyone finished the day with a sense of having accomplished something very good and tangible for their community. The job isn’t done but the workday was a good start and demonstrates again how our community can come together to help our friends and neighbors. We feel better knowing that we have paid respect to some of our forgotten towns people, and have enhanced the experience for families who pay visits to their loved ones and place flowers on their graves at Memorial Day.
Thanks to everyone who turned out to help. The Sebago cemetery committee is hoping to have another workday this summer, and would appreciated a good turnout. Also, if you and your family have an old cemetery out in the woods behind your home and would like to “adopt” it, call Ann Farley (787-4351), Ted Greene (787-2424), or June Allen (787-2555) for more information. It would be a wonderful thing for you to do, and the town would appreciate it.
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