Fifteen Years and Counting!

  In the fall of 2010, A Girl Scout Junior Troop  met to conduct the first  Cleanup project at the Presumpscot/ East Deering Cemetery behind Presumpscot School.  These girls were lead by Senior Girl Scouts, Kayla Theriault and Samantha Allshouse who endeavored, through this Girl Scout Gold Award project, to recover the ancient and neglected cemetery,  and to restore elements of dignity to this sacred burial ground dating back to the 1740's and is a final resting place of nearly 200 souls.

    

    Over the course of now, 15 years, since the recovery project was initiated by Kayla Theriault and Samantha Allshouse,  Portland Girl Scouts of the Machigonne Service Unit have continued the legacy by adopting the Presumpscot/ Grand Trunk Cemetery as an annual service project. 

    They do this by holding Cleanup/Planting Parties in the Fall and Spring.  The Girl Scouts, their friends and families, together with the informal, 'Friends of the Grand Trunk Cemetery' have gathered, to rake leaves, and plant daffodil bulbs, or flowers in the spring.  

    The cemetery has also been, and continues to be,  a place of gathering for other activities to celebrate Girl Scout events like their Founder, Juliette Gordon Low's Halloween birthday.

    This past Sunday, twenty-two Portland Girl Scouts, their families, neighbors, and friends gathered to honor those long ago citizens of what was then little more than a village of Back Cove and East Deering, by engaging in an activity to keep the small burial site looking good.

    As a matter of record, I choose to report on these activities  and those who participate,  through this blog, as a means of encouraging readers to want to know about the history of the cemetery and to encourage others to continue to regard this sacred place with interest and care.

    Although I have posted this "Thank You! in Facebook, I will include it again:

    Many thanks to the Girl Scouts, their families and friends who came to the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery this afternoon to honor those interred here with their presence, their work to rake and pick up lots of leaves, and by filling 20 large garden bags.

    Some bulbs were planted and will add beauty to the burial ground in the Spring. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Joel's work to leaf blow made the raking so much easier. Since all five of the gardens were turned over, there is still a lot of planting to be done!

    In total, twenty-two folks particpated today, marking the 15th year of the recovery project initiated by Samantha Allshouse and Kayla Theriault.

    Today, Kayla herself a Girl Scout Leader, continues to participate, along with her children.

Many Thanks to All!

    Here are pictures for your enjoyment!

    We look forward to the Spring when the daffodils are in bloom and to our next opportunity to come together again!

A Notification of An Upcoming Event

     I realize that it has been a while since I have been in touch, but I am still here,  and I just want you to know that our wonderful Portland Girl Scouts plan to hold the annual Fall Cleanup/Planting Party at our Grand Trunk Cemetery. You, of course, are invited to participate if you are able. 

     It hardly seems possible that this is the 15th year since the project to recover the ancient burial site was initiated by two Girl Scouts, Samantha Allshouse and Kayla Theriault, in November 2010.

    It is gratifying to know that Machigonne Service Unit, the volunteer leadership for Portland Girl Scouts of Maine who adopted this project in 2015, continues to support and sponsor this event and encourages families to participate.

    Here's a notification from their recent Leader meeting:

Service Team News - Cheryl

·         Family & Friends Service Project: Sunday October 26^th from 1 – 3pm Grand Trunk Cemetery (behind Presumpscot School) bulb planting & clean-up – Machigonne adopted Service Project! All invited—please share widely! (Rain date: Sun Nov 2, same time & place.) * Please bring gardening gloves, bulbs/planting tool if you have, rakes will be provided but feel free to bring one, esp child size ones. Snack will be provided but feel free to bring something to share.

    I personally wish all of you a wonderful Fall season and hope to see at least some of you on October 26th.  In case we have bad weather, we will hold the event on the following Sunday, November 2nd at the same time and location.

Best wishes and good health,

Marianne

Memorial Day 2025 at the GTC

    Monday, May 26th, is Memorial Day.  It has become our tradition since the recovery of the ancient Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery, to place wreaths and flags to honor the dead; the Veterans and the early residents of this East Deering area of Portland.  

    Although these are but a few of the nearly two hundred souls interred here from c. 1740 to 1894, it is important to preserve their memory in some small way.  Here are some photos for readers to enjoy:

    Wishing each of you a Happy Memorial Day 2025.

ANNUAL FAll CLEANUP and FOUNDER'S DAY at the GRAND TRUNK CEMETERY

     Sunday, October 27th, 2024 marked 14 years when Portland Girl Scouts, their families, friends and East Deering neighbors gathered to spend an afternoon at the Presumpscot, Grand Trunk Cemetery.  I believe that their working together to rake, fill bags with leaves, broken branches, tons of acorns, and planting Spring bulbs, honors the dead who resided in this area of Portland about 200 years ago, and are interred in this small burial site behind the Presumpscot School.

    In October of 2014, the cemetery was re-dedicated to the memory of the 197 souls buried here and,  Portland Girl Scouts, continuing the legacy of Samantha Allshouse and Kayla Theriault whose recover and attention to the cemetery in 2010/2011 made it possible through their Girl Scout Gold Award Project: 'Unearthing the Roots of the Back Cove and East Deering Community.'

    In 2015, the volunteer leadership of Girl Scouts of Maine Machigonne Service Unit adopted the Grand Trunk Cemetery for an annual service project by holding fall and spring cemetery cleanups and planting parties.  They have also expanded their involvement by offering other activities to honor their founder, Juliette Gordan Low at the cemetery.  In past years, therre have been games, scavenger hunts, bridging ceremonies and even a visit with 'Juliette'. 

    On this windy and blustery Sunday afternoon, about 35 Girl Scouts, family members, friends and neighbors participated.  It's exciting and gratifying to know that the attention paid to this small, but historically significant burial site continues.  A very special thanks to all those who were there at the Grand Trunk Cemetery this Sunday afternoon.

    I hope followers of the Remnant will enjoy the pictures.

 The Grand Trunk Cemetery Veterans Memorial

     

Preparing for Memorial Day 2024/Remembering May Deaths

     Despite the drizzle and dampness, Girl Scout volunteer leaders and family members gathered at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery for a mini ceremony to place flags and flowers for our 12 Veterans.

    Many thanks to the Portland Cemeteries crew who did such a fantastic job cleaning up the leaves and broken tree branches, and removing the damaged cherry tree, that there was no need for us to take out the rakes and bags. Thank you to all who participated on this rainy Sunday!

PATRIOTS DAY 2024 / April Deaths and Burials at the Grand Trunk Cemetery

      On this April 15th, 2024, Patriots Day is celebrated in recognition of the actions that propelled colonists into a great war for independence; the Revolutionary War.  In honor of their service, five Veterans who are interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery, had flags placed near their grave markers.

    Over the last several years, I have come to realize that Joseph Merrill, who we initially recognized for his participation in the War of 1812, at nearly sixty years of age, also served in the Revolutionary War as a young man.

 

   

    

    The stories of these Patriots lives can be found in the pages of this blog and I invite readers to search for them if you are so inclined.  The gesture of placing flags is a small one but I hope it serves to remind readers of the significance of the devotion to service of these Veterans.

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    There were five deaths of men and women who lived in the East Deering village and are interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery.  Among them, is also our Patriot Joseph Merrill who died in the month of April.

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Daffodils planted in the Fall are beginning to blossom and bloom!

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE

SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024

1 PM - 3 PM

    Our Annual Spring Cleanup at the GTC will take place and all are invited to spend an afternoon beautifying this small, sacred burial ground.  It is shortly  before Memorial Day, so we will hold a mini ceremony to honor all our Veterans by reading their names and placing flags at their markers. 

   I hope those of you who are local, willing and able will come.  I will keep you posted with more details soon.