Common Ground Cemetery

The Old Harpswell Common Burial Ground, also knows as the Harpswell Meeting House Cemetery, is a historic graveyard on the grounds of the Old Town Meeting House in Harpswell Center.  Dating from the mid 1700s, it served as the primary resting place for early settlers until 1900. At least nine revolutionary war soldiers and sailors are buried there along with sea captains and notable religious figures from Harpswell's early days, including the Rev Elisha Eaton and his son Rev Samuel Eaton. They were the first two pastors at the Harpswell Congregational Church (now the Elijah Kellogg Church Congregational). The empty area near the entrance is where Native Americans, slaves and the poor were buried. Altogether, there are about 600 graves. The Harpswell Historical Society oversees the cemetery, which is owned by the town of Harpswell.