The Bookshelf
Good books on old cemeteries, gravestones, family history and the towns that buried their own — chosen for people who care for them.
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Maine History · NewestStories from Maine Cemeteries: Lives Cut Short
by Ron Romano
Maine gravestones from the 1800s were decorated with snapped flower buds, broken tree branches and cracked columns to reveal that those buried below had died before their time. From lightning strikes to shipwrecks, accidents to disease—and even a sensational murder—there were many causes for these untimely deaths. Award-winning cemetery historian Ron Romano uncovers how mysterious symbols, epitaphs, monument forms, and cemetery landscapes tell the stories of those whose lives were cut short.
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Monument StylesCurious Gravestones in Northern New England: Billboard Monuments, Volume II
by Ron Romano
Unusual gravestones resembling billboard signs were produced in New England in the mid-1800s. As a follow-up to his book Billboard Monuments of Maine, cemetery historian Ron Romano has traveled the back roads of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in search of more. This richly illustrated second volume features thirty-six of these rare and fascinating monuments and tells the compelling stories of some of the New Englanders they memorialize.
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Monument StylesBillboard Monuments of Maine: A Collection of Rare 1800s Gravestones
by Ron Romano
A curious form of gravestone—resembling a billboard sign—was produced in Maine in the mid-1800s. Surviving examples are found today in at least 25 cemeteries across the state. Cemetery historian Ron Romano provides a fascinating look at these family memorials and their makers, interwoven with compelling stories about the people whose graves they decorate, and important historical issues of the period.
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Cemetery HistoryPortland’s Historic Eastern Cemetery: A Field of Ancient Graves
by Ron Romano
Eastern Cemetery holds more than 350 years of Portland’s rich history. Within the sacred burial ground rest settlers who struggled with the natives over resources, citizens who had to choose their allegiance to the king or independence, and abolitionists fighting for the end of slavery. From bank robbers and murdering mutineers to Quakers and war heroes, the lives of those interred offer a window into the past.
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Gravestone CarversEarly Gravestones in Southern Maine: The Genius of Bartlett Adams
by Ron Romano
The slate gravestones of southern Maine bear evidence of the region’s fascinating history, from shipwrecks and famous wartime sea captains to countless ordinary citizens. Master stonecutter Bartlett Adams memorialized the tragedy and triumph of the region in nearly two thousand gravestones. Through deep and original research, author and guide Ron Romano narrates the early history of southern Maine and one man’s legacy, carved in stone.
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Cemetery HistoryOver My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries
by Greg Melville
Journalist Greg Melville traces the story of America’s cemeteries—how and where we have buried and honored our dead, and how those places shaped our landscapes, literature and politics—and weighs what burial, embalming and cremation cost the environment and what remembrance means today.
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Cemetery PreservationThe Gravestone Guardian’s Manual
by Cara & James Kent
A field guide to North American cemetery preservation: every stone type, 350 years of memorial art, safe cleaning and repair methods, and printable field forms.
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