Cape Elizabeth recognizes historical burial site
Cape Elizabeth Trail Sparks Debate Over Hidden Burials
Cape Elizabeth, Maine – A quiet path through the marsh‑laden grove behind Riverside Cemetery has become the center of a town debate after a recent memorial unveiled on the Greenbelt trail. The plaque, installed by the town’s conservation committee, maps 51 burial markers believed to belong to early settlers, most of whom were buried without names or dates.
The burial site was first documented by an archaeologist who conducted a required survey for a new bridge over Pollack Brook. “Unless you know what to look for, you’re not going to realize it’s a burial ground,” said Town Planner Maureen O’Meara, who discovered the markers while walking the trail. “Fifty‑one burial sites feels like a pretty significant number to me.” The markers are mostly rectangular stones that sit just inches above the ground, a pattern that local history enthusiast Diane Brakeley says is suspiciously “rectangular” and likely a marker of graves.
The graves include those of Revolutionary War veteran John Jordan, his wife and two daughters, whose headstones are engraved and marked on the cemetery side of the brook. Jordan’s family line continued with his descendant Nathaniel Jordan, who married Mary in 1793 and fathered at least ten children by 1820. The plaque, unveiled last Wednesday evening in front of an audience of about 30 residents, councilors, and town staff, includes a map of the burial sites and a brief history of the Jordan family.
“It’s a really special moment and place marking an intersection of the distant past and today,” said Town Council Chair Elizabeth Scifres. The memorial was the result of years of negotiation by the conservation committee, which had to acquire a boulder and commission a plaque.
Brakeley, who has spent recent nights walking the trail, has urged the town to remove the path that cuts through the burial area. “We’re stepping on dead bodies,” she said. “It’s one thing to have a perimeter trail surrounding the burials. It’s another to have a thoroughfare running through it.” She pointed to stones on the trail that she believes are markers and argued that the path’s existence could lead to further disturbance.
O’Meara acknowledges the tension but argues that maintaining a designated trail is necessary to prevent off‑trail activity. “Giving people a place to walk would deter off‑trail activity,” she said. “Without a designated trail through the burial area, there could be more trampling and damage to the site.” The trail, built a few years ago by a local Boy Scout troop, was intended to provide access to the four engraved headstones near the wetlands.
The town has not yet decided whether to reroute or remove the path. The conversation is ongoing, with the conservation committee, town planners, and local residents weighing the need for public access against respect for the buried.
Brakeley continues to comb through archives and online records, hoping to uncover the names and stories of the otherwise anonymous settlers. “Their names and stories might be lost to history, but they will be recognized,” she said.
As Cape Elizabeth balances the preservation of its quiet marshland with the demands of public recreation, the debate over the path highlights a broader question for communities across New England: how should we honor those who came before us while still making history accessible to all?
