Have you ever been walking down to the dining hall or down to the beach and noticed the cemetery? Well did you know it’s the oldest historical site in all of South Portland?

Old Settlers Cemetery, sometimes called Thrasher Cemetery, contains eighteen marked gravestones with several unmarked graves also believed to be there from early settlers of the land. Seven out of the eighteen gravestones are members of the Thrasher family which is why it has the alternate name. 

The gravesite was abandoned around 1678 because of the King Philip War which forced the settlers to pack up and leave. Around the turn of the 18th century, however, nine families returned to the settlement. In 1703 twenty-five settlers were killed and eight captured by a local Native American tribe the Wabanokies. Settlement of the land was attempted for the last time in 1716, and this time the settlement was successful. 

The Old Settlers Cemetery can be an interesting place to visit if you have the time. The graves are kept in nice condition and it’s cool to learn about people who lived on this land before us.