I am an active cemetery researcher and author (see: Cemetery Publications for a list of my publications.)
Mt. Desert Island in general and Acadia National Park are beautiful and historical. Guide books are available for the hiking trails, the carriage roads, the mansions, etc. But as a cemetery researcher and hobbyist, Acadia’s cemeteries remained inaccessible. And then I tripped on a book titled, “Cemeteries of Cranberry Isles and the Towns of Mount Desert Island”, by Thomas Vining©2000.
Mr. Vining provided directions to and details about 110 cemeteries: 94 on Mount Desert Island and 16 on four of the Cranberry Isles.
For an historical record, he did an amazing job of transcribing names and dates from these markers. The book is almost 600 pages in length. For genealogists, the book is a treasure chest of information which includes an alphabetical index by surnames. In addition, he provides an historic picture for posterity of those buried in those cemeteries, and their content, because there is a sad truth: the markers are being damaged by weather, time and acid rain. And unfortunately, there are issues of markers destroyed by vandals as well as being removed by thieves.
For those interested in every cemetery on Mount Desert Island and the Cranberry Isles, you should acquire Mr. Vining’s book (or if out of print, see the copy available in the Bar Harbor Public Library.)
The author of this book is of the opinion that cemeteries are museums that include epitaphs and art as well as materials, forms, iconography and fonts that are inherently interesting, over and above the genealogy. With a European presence dating back to the 17th century, one can expect many historic cemeteries in the area.
With that in mind, this book will provide photos of markers that are special in some way and will provide a path (vehicle required) to visit these cemeteries in some logical sequence.
Out of sensitivity to the families, photos of markers less than 25 years old, will have the names on the markers edited out.
The directions to the individual cemeteries are based on the directions given by Mr. Vining who informed me that he made the entirety of his book part of the public record and gave me permission to use it in this volume.
More volumes will follow if I receive positive feedback. A printed version may follw, but for now, my copyright allows you to download and print one copy for your personal use. Please send comments and corrections to: Joshua Segal
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Last updated: 2/28/2019