A community event at Oak Grove Cemetery - join the living among the dead.

 An Elite Garden Cemetery - Oak Grove Cemetery Tour

Bath, Maine is home to an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous cemetery (or two or three…)! The big one - Oak Grove Cemetery - is one of only a handful in Maine designed in the rural, or garden cemetery tradition that originated in the 19th century with Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA.

Garden cemeteries were created to be enjoyed and explored by the living, with picturesque landscapes, meandering paths, ornamental trees, decorative hedges, hothouse flowers and a variety of other fascinating features, like monuments, mausoleums, ponds, bridges, and gazebos. For history lovers, cemeteries are not only a physical record of the past, but an opportunity to explore stories about the lives of “ordinary” people, especially women and children.

““The city of the living wish to go there…and they will be taken there anon.” ”
— Bath Daily Times, Sept. 3 1875

Join us on a walk which elevates and brings to life less heralded events and people. We will give back as well- leaving “grave goods” at selected spots, a centuries old tradition of gifts from the living to the dead. NOTE: This is not a ghost tour; first and foremost, your mind will be nourished; but your imagination will not be neglected.

On our fun and fascinating guided walking tour, we will learn about cemetery lore and symbols, and dig into these 19th and early 20th century tales:

  • How 19th century Americans viewed a “good death” and what the Civil War did to turn that concept on its head, forever.

  • The grave of a prominent blacksmith who may or may not have been the one who touched off Bath’s devastating fire of 1894.

  • What the massive granite “broken oak” meant to the scandal-ridden son who planted it to honor his father, who taught him everything.

  • The true legacy of Bath Iron Work’s founder Thomas W. Hyde, whose life was cut short just years after his firm built its first navy ships.

  • How locals were able to get their eyes on the body of a slain policeman, even when detectives could not get their hands on the perpetrator.

  • What schoolmates said about Nina, their beloved classmate, gone too soon.

  • How and why the Civil War soldiers bodies were moved, and who watches over them now.

  • Why “died at sea” ends up on so many gravestones in the City of Ships.

  • The granite steps that lead to…nowhere.

Details: Approximately 75 minutes long, about 1/2 mile, over dirt paths and grassy hills. $15 per person. ($5 from each tour ticket will go to the City of Bath’s Cemeteries and Parks Division for cemetery upkeep.)

Hot tip: Oak Grove Cemetery does not have an official street address, but once you book your tour, you will receive a confirmation email and a second email with more details regarding directions and parking. But here’s a sneak peek of our meeting & parking spot.

$5 off offer! Receive a promo code for $5 off your tour ticket. Suscribe to our newsletter to get the code.