Early Gravestones in Boothbay: The Art of Bartlett Adams

Bartlett Adams (1776 – 1828) was born and raised near Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he learned the craft of stone-cutting as an apprentice to his brother-in-law.  In 1800, at age 24, he moved to Portland and established the area’s first stone-cutting shop.  He supplied hearthstones and mantlepieces to area homes, but his more lasting – and visible – impact can be found in the early cemeteries of southern Maine.  His busy shop produced hundreds of slate and marble gravestones, some of which are found today in the historic burial grounds of Boothbay and the mid-coast.  Join author and historian Ron Romano for this heavily-illustrated look at the life and beautiful work of Bartlett Adams.  Following the lecture, Romano will have copies of his book about Adams available for autograph and sale.

A native of Portland, Ron serves on the board of Spirits Alive—the Friends of Portland’s Eastern Cemetery—leading their walking tours program (recently named by Yankee Magazine as one of the “Best 5 Cemetery Tours in New England”).  Ron also serves as Trustee for the national Association for Gravestone Studies.  He is a frequent lecturer on the early stonecutters of southern Maine and gravestone symbolism, and has guided groups through many historic cemeteries in the area. His original research on the life and work of stonecutter Bartlett Adams led to the publication of his first book (“Early Gravestones in Southern Maine”) in 2016.  His second book, published in 2017 (“Portland’s Historic Eastern Cemetery”), celebrates Portland’s 350-year-old burying ground, on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Art of Bartlett Adams  will take place in the 1847 Boothbay Town Hall. Admission is free, a suggested donation of $5 is appreciated. Lectures at Boothbay Railway Village are made possible by Bath Savings Institution.