Jane’s Walk 2026 will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026, beginning at 10 am.
ABOVE & BELOW: Eastport’s Historic Hillside Cemetery
The two tombs at Hillside Cemetery, Eastport, Maine. Photograph taken March 17, 2026.
Led by: Wayne Wilcox, Local Historian and Civil War enthusiast
Duration: 60 to 90 minutes
This walk will explore the eastern side of Hillside Cemetery, the earliest section of the oldest remaining cemetery in Eastport, Maine. The first cemetery in Eastport began a short distance away on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay next to what was then the town landing. Burials and gravestones from this small initial cemetery were moved to the beginnings of Hillside Cemetery in 1818 after the town acquired the central part of what would become this new cemetery. Over time, Hillside Cemetery expanded in several steps, first to the south in 1848, then to the north in 1858 and then beginning in 1887 across High Street to the west on what had previously been farmland. The tour of the cemetery will offer a chance to understand some of the history of Eastport and the people who are part of this history. Gravestones on the tour include the earliest Massachusetts and New Hampshire settlers to Eastport, a sea captain and his family who were all lost a sea, two British soldiers who died during the time Eastport was occupied by the British during the War of 1812, veterans of the Civil War and other wars, and a noted early 19th century American historian who wrote the first book on the Loyalists, those Americans who remained loyal to Great Britain and moved to New Brunswick and elsewhere in Canada. An added bonus of the tour will be a rare chance to view the interiors of the two early 19th century tombs at the cemetery, the Masonic Tomb dating to 1828 and somewhat later Shackford, Kilby and Hayden Tomb.
STARTING TIME: 10 AM, MAY 2
STARTING LOCATION:
Arch Entrance to eastern section of Hillside Cemetery, High Street, Eastport, Maine. Park along eastern side of High Street.
ENDING LOCATION:
Arch Entrance to Hillside Cemetery, High Street, Eastport, Maine.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Most if not all of the walking route should be accessible though the terrain will be uneven. If there are cases where the route is not fully accessible, short accessible detours should be able to be found. Access to the interiors of the two tombs involve steps and otherwise will not be fully accessible.
For information about 65 other Jane’s Walks taking place throughout Maine on May 2, 2026 see: Jane’s Walk Maine. Jane’s Walk Maine is organized under the leadership of Maine Preservation.