The South Portland Historical Society continues with its Sunday Chat Series at the museum at Bug Light Park this week. Some of our favorite local authors will be on hand each week to talk about their area of expertise. We invite residents to drop by to take in the museum and chat with the author who is visiting with us.

This coming Sunday, Nov. 24, Ron Romano will be with us from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the world of Maine’s old cemeteries and gravestone carvers, Romano is one of the state’s most recognized authorities. Active locally with Portland’s nonprofit Friends of Eastern Cemetery and nationally with the Association for Gravestone Studies, Ron is the author of two cemetery-themed books.

“Portland’s Historic Eastern Cemetery” was released to coincide with the 350th anniversary of Portland’s first public burying ground. Ron also researched the fascinating life of stone cutter Bartlett Adams who moved to Portland in 1800 and opened the area’s first stone cutting shop. Through his research, Ron has attributed to the Adams shop nearly 2,000 gravestones in over 150 Maine cemeteries, including some in South Portland. Ron recorded his findings in the book, “Early Gravestones in Southern Maine: The Genius of Bartlett Adams.”

We hope you’ll stop by to chat with Ron at the museum. His books will also be available for purchase and signing at the event.

Note to readers: The museum at Bug Light Park is nearing the end of its 2019 season. The museum and gift shop are now open on Saturdays and Sundays, through Dec. 22. We encourage the public to come in for a visit to take in the Trains and Trolleys exhibit before the museum closes; that exhibit will be removed this winter and replaced with a new exhibit when we reopen in the spring.

The 2019 Cape Elizabeth Depot ornaments are available in the museum gift shop during open hours. Ornaments are also available for sale (cash/check only) at three businesses that have agreed to sell them on our behalf, Drillen Hardware, Broadway Variety and Embers Stove Shop.

All proceeds from ornament sales, regardless of the location where they are purchased, support the South Portland Historical Society and its museum. For more information, call the historical society at 767-7299 or by email sphistory04106@gmail.com.

Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director for the South Portland Historical Society.

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