Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc.

Capital Campaign

Portland’s Western Cemetery was created in the 1830’s by the City of Portland because the Eastern Cemetery had reached its capacity.  Its unique design featured a planned cemetery with a park in its center known as the Woodbine Grove. Its plots were sold out in only 20 years. The cemetery became a major burial site for Portland residents, including its soldiers who fought five wars – the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American War and World War I. Eventually, other cemeteries were created to address the needs of Portland’s growing population. Tragically, the Western Cemetery was not cared for and has fallen into a state of disrepair. Despite this, the cemetery is visited regularly by residents, people who work in the city and tourists who enjoy its serene ambience, beauty and history. Please see the attached brochure setting forth its history.

Who are the Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc.?

Concerned about the severe deterioration of the cemetery and its gravestones, a group of city residents formed The Stewards of the Western Cemetery, Inc. as a nonprofit corporation in 2002. Its purpose was to restore the cemetery and gravestones to their original condition and protect and preserve them for the future. With the help of the city, the Stewards’ initial achievements were to refurbish the Davies Gate and install a new fence along Vaughan Street. Activities were undertaken to control the vegetation and enhance the cemetery’s appearance. However, nothing was done to restore the many fallen or vandalized gravestones.  After that burst of activity, work on the cemetery slowed over time until a new group of volunteers gathered in 2022 to continue the work of the original founders. The corporation became qualified as a 501(c)(3) organization (federal tax identification number: 87-4431805), raised operating funds, continued improving the appearance of the cemetery, and began to restore gravestones in the vicinity of Vaughan Street and elsewhere.

What and why are we asking for support?

We are asking for your help right now to raise capital funds in the amount of $250,000 to make significant improvements to the cemetery to prevent further deterioration of its grounds. These improvements were first identified in the Master Plan dated January 2001 commissioned by the Portland Department of Parks and Recreation. They will involve the construction of a tool house to store vital tools and equipment for restoring gravestones, extension of a water line to the tool house, the purchase of a portable generator to power tools and the completion of a fence around the perimeter of the cemetery, reseeding areas of Woodbine Grove, and planting trees on the north slope of the cemetery to prevent erosion, among other things.  Handicap access will also be improved on the site along with other amenities.

These improvements will allow us to proceed with the essential work of restoring gravestones and bring the history of its residents to light for all of us to learn and enjoy. As our capital campaign donations grow to levels where we can pay for specific capital improvements, we will begin that work so that we can complete them as quickly as possible.  We want you to witness the changes now, rather than in the future. The details of the budget are set forth below.

What is the City’s role?

The cemetery is owned by the City of Portland, but its present budget only includes funds for routine maintenance, such as mowing and leaf disposal.  Sadly, these funds are insufficient to restore grave sites and make the other necessary improvements discussed above.  Fortunately, we have worked out an arrangement with the city to proceed with the critical Master Plan improvements using private funds and gifts.  Frankly, it is unrealistic to expect that the city will authorize the use of public funds now or in the foreseeable future for these projects, given competing demands for support of many worthy municipal programs.  However, the city has set up a special account for the exclusive benefit of the Western Cemetery to receive your donations and grants to be used exclusively to save the cemetery.  The donations will be tax deductible, and you will receive an acknowledgement of your gift.

What will be the future financial needs?

Once these capital improvements are completed, we believe that no major capital funding will be required in the near term. The cemetery will typically need no more than $15,000 to operate on an annual basis to pay for professional assistance for gravestone repairs, supplies, insurance, and more. The annual fundraising will continue side by side with our capital campaign.

How can you help?

We are asking you to donate to our capital campaign. We are reaching out to the community to get the broadest possible participation. Many of you come to the cemetery to walk, exercise, or simply enjoy its setting, and we need your help to improve your experience.  We will be able to bring our cemetery’s history back to life and share it with visitors, neighbors, students and children. Saving a landmark is a rich and rewarding experience for families to learn what citizen stewardship is all about.

All donors will be recognized as “Stewards” of our beloved Western Cemetery. Matching gifts are welcome. In addition to your financial support, we have many opportunities for volunteers to help with gravestone repair, landscaping, historical research, media outreach and development activities.

Budget